{"id":50790,"date":"2025-01-27T11:31:44","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T11:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/anime\/love-it-or-weeb-it-the-eccentric-family-with-transcript-the-josei-next-door\/"},"modified":"2025-01-27T11:31:44","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T11:31:44","slug":"love-it-or-weeb-it-the-eccentric-family-with-transcript-the-josei-next-door","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=50790","title":{"rendered":"Love It Or Weeb It \u2013 The Eccentric Family [With Transcript] \u2013 The Josei Next Door"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

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Take a flight of fancy with this under-the-radar gem.<\/p>\n

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\"Promotional<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Annie (@annieothername<\/a>) and Jeff (@jeffinitelyjeff<\/a>) were kind enough to invite me onto their podcast Love It Or Weeb It<\/a> to talk (and talk!) (and talk!!) about one of my all-time favorite anime, The<\/em> Eccentric Family<\/em>. Join us for a lively discussion of mythology, femme fatales, and adorable tanuki. No hot pots allowed.<\/p>\n

You can listen to the episode<\/a> or keep reading for the full transcript.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Transcript: Love it Or Weeb It, \u201cThe Eccentric Family\u201d<\/h2>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Jeff, stop trying to eat the tanuki!<\/p>\n

[Intro music]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Hello and welcome to Love It or Weeb It, where we let you know if we love an anime enough to recommend it to everyone or if it\u2019s just for the worst of the weebs. I\u2019m Annie, and if I was a tanuki I would transform into a shirtless Sephiroth, specifically.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Without the jeans! Not the jeans. In his normal outfit.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Okay, I\u2019m Jeff, and if I were tanuki I would transform into a shirtless Sephiroth with<\/em> jeans.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Well, I\u2019m Dee, and if I was a tanuki I wouldn\u2019t transform into anything quite that spicy. Sorry, guys! I would transform into luggage tags on a bag that was going someplace I wanted to visit so I could travel the world for free.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Wow, that\u2019s a good one!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, good answer.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: We\u2019re dumb.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I thought really hard about that!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: We\u2019re dumb!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Laughs] Hey, it\u2019s okay: you made somebody\u2019s day by being shirtless Sephiroth when you made that transformation, so it all worked out.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: That\u2019s true.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I briefly considered, like, should I be the sword instead so I can be held by shirtless Sephiroth? Then\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [feigning annoyance] No!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Or should I be the jeans?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Extra spicy.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: So, yeah, if you haven\u2019t guessed, we have a special guest this week. It\u2019s Dee, a.k.a. Josei Next Door. Welcome to the show!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Hi, thanks for having me! I\u2019m excited to be here.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Whoo!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah! So if you\u2019re new to the podcast, each week we watch the first three episodes of a new anime and cast our votes to love it or weeb it. But today Annie is cashing in on her victory of the summer season to do a classic review of The Eccentric Family<\/em>, both seasons of which are available subbed on Crunchyroll and VRV. But before we get into the meat (the tanuki meat?) of the episode\u2014<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: No, never!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Stop! Stop!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Have you learned nothing from this show? Don\u2019t eat tanuki.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [Chuckles] Before we get into the meat of the episode, we\u2019re gonna do our general anime check-in. So, for me and Annie, we only have a week\u2019s worth of stuff to catch up on. But Dee, have you been in recent times watching or reading anything in the realm of anime particularly notable you wanna talk about?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I mean, as we\u2019re recording this, we\u2019re in the middle of premiere season, so I have been completely taken over by premieres. But before then, it was just seasonal anime, wasn\u2019t it? As far back as the eye can see! I\u2019m just chained to the season! I was going to try to recommend a manga, but my brain is fuzzy right now with titles that I\u2019ve been catching up on.<\/p>\n

Oh, I know! Kageki Shoujo<\/em>, I will mention as a recommendation. It is a manga that came out really recently from Seven Seas. It\u2019s about these girls who are training to basically be Takarazuka-style performers\u2014so, like musical theater. And it\u2019s really good. Some content warnings for eating disorders and some assault stuff, but it\u2019s delicately handled. But it was really, really good, and I guess they\u2019re making an anime out of it sometime soon, so now is a great time to jump into this story.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: It looks really nice. I was a little confused because I was like, \u201cIs this not Revue Starlight<\/em>?\u201d It\u2019s like similar words but flipped around, so it\u2019s not quite Revue Starlight<\/em>.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, and it\u2019s more of a character drama. It focuses on the two main girls, whose names escape me at the moment, but very much on becoming a performer and the classes they have to take and the kind of things they have to do in school, and the two of them getting to know each other and dealing with their past histories and why they\u2019re in the program and\u2026 Yeah, I really liked it. It essentially is a prequel, and there\u2019s a second series that I think Seven Seas is eventually going to publish as well. But I\u2019m really excited for the upcoming anime of it, as well. So, it\u2019s great!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Oh, cool. Speaking of the premiere season that you\u2019re in the middle of, is there any one show that stands out to you, that you\u2019re most excited about?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Probably Otherside Picnic<\/em> was my favorite. It wasn\u2019t a surprise. It\u2019s the yuri about the two college girls who hunt cosmic horrors in another world.<\/p>\n

ANNIE and JEFF<\/strong>: Ooh!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: The first episode, I enjoyed quite a bit. And then I guess my big surprise was 2.43<\/em>, which is the volleyball show. I thought it would kind of be a Haikyu<\/em> knockoff, and it\u2019s actually a really, really well-done character drama. And the two boys will<\/em> not stop blushing at each other.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [Gasps] Sign me up!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah! So, those are my two premiere picks after a single episode. So, you know, knowing premieres, something will disappoint me, but those were the two that stand out at this point.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Nice. So, Annie, I assume you\u2019re gonna disappoint me and have nothing to say?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Okay, I have something to say, but I don\u2019t like that I\u2019m saying it.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh no.<\/p>\n

ASHLEY<\/strong>: So, you know how I was reading that webtoon True Beauty<\/em> and I really liked it, and it turned into a drama? Well, since the drama got popular, people have been talking about it and someone pointed out that the webtoon was originally fanfiction about a BTS member.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: What?<\/p>\n

ASHLEY<\/strong>: And now I can never read it again! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Wait. Like, they gender-swapped?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: No! True Beauty<\/em>, one of the love interests\u2026<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: \u2026 is based on Jin from BTS.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Wait, so, it\u2019s like what if a BTS guy fell in love with me?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: That\u2019s what it kind of feels like, yeah! So now I can\u2019t read the webtoon anymore!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: You can\u2019t unsee that, huh?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I can\u2019t unsee it, because someone did a side-by-side of all of Jin\u2019s outfits and then the character Su-ho\u2019s outfits, and I was like, \u201cDang it! This is just a copy of this man. I gotta go!\u201d<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I mean, at least it\u2019s not like\u2026 You don\u2019t know if the main character is a self-insert, right?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Feels like a self-insert.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh. Well, then maybe that\u2019s a little awkward.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: It feels a little self-inserty. And I was like, \u201cDang! Now I\u2019m embarrassed.\u201d<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I did catch up just to make sure that that was the case. But yeah, I did catch up with that. I\u2019m always caught up on True Beauty<\/em>! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: It turns out that the real true beauty was the BTS\u2026<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: BTS fanfiction\u2014<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: \u2014that we made along the way?<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: The only thing I\u2019ve read or watched since we last talked was\u2026 I read all of Our Dreams at Dusk<\/em>: Shimanami Tasogare<\/em>.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yes, very good.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Which I picked for a book club because I heard so much praise for it over the years. I did not realize that I\u2019ve been to that town.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Oh, wow!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I was like, \u201cOh, wait. This is very familiar. Why is it so familiar? Oh, wait.\u201d I also feel especially stupid because I did the bike route that starts in that town. It\u2019s called the Shimanami Kaido, and somehow I did not notice that that was in the name of the series, Shimanami Tasogare<\/em>. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Just never quite made the connection.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah! I\u2019m just a dummy. But\u2014<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Also, we get it: you\u2019ve been to Japan.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Okay.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I guess it does sound like humblebragging.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [sarcastic] Wow, remember when I was in that town doing a bike ride?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Jeff, don\u2019t worry about it: I was planning to humblebrag about my trip to Kyoto later in this episode, so you\u2019re good!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Ooh!<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: But yeah, Our Dreams at Dusk<\/em> is very, very, very good. I had one qualm with it, which\u2026 it\u2019s very realistic aside from like one slash of magical realism that is, I think, a little too extreme, which might be a topic we get to this episode in general. But aside from that splash of magical realism I don\u2019t know if I loved, the rest of the manga is very fantastic and is some well-needed queer representation in manga, so I would definitely recommend people check it out.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I\u2019d sign my name to that as well. It\u2019s a really, really good series.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah. I really enjoyed the Chatty AF episode<\/a> talking about it, with Dee on.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Aw. Thank you!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, that was a fun one to do.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I\u2019ll have a link to that in the show notes. People can check that out as well and listen to more thoughts about that series.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Heck yeah!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: All right, so, now let\u2019s jump into the hot pot to get boiled and\u2026<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Stop! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Jeff, stop trying to eat the tanuki!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: No, I\u2019m proposing we are the tanuki and we\u2019re gonna get eaten.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I don\u2019t wanna be eaten!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I don\u2019t want to be a part of your vore fantasy.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh no.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Okay, so we\u2019re talking about The Eccentric Family<\/em>. Dee, as the guest, we are asking you to\u2026 as the guest to our Friday Fellows, um, we are\u2014<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: That works.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk, exasperated] Oh my God.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: \u2014burdening you with the entertainment and\u2026 This connection is not working very well. But yeah, can you explain to listeners what this show is about?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, sure. So, The Eccentric Family<\/em> takes place in a fantastical version of Kyoto, Japan, where humans and tanuki and tengu all kind of mingle together. And most of the humans don\u2019t know that the tanuki and the tengu are in the town.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For folks who don\u2019t know, tanuki are raccoon dogs, and folklore-wise, they tend to be known as shapeshifters and tricksters, usually benign, just like practical jokesters, but sometimes they can get a little nasty.<\/p>\n

And then tengu are\u2026 It depends on what folklore you\u2019re looking at, but they\u2019re usually depicted as flying bird-like human creatures. Somewhat like tanuki, they can be tricksters. They tend to be a little bit more dangerous. Sometimes they have wind magic, and they\u2019re known for being extremely proud and sometimes abducting people and teaching them magic.<\/p>\n

So, the story takes place in a world that blends all those folklore elements together. But it mostly follows the Shimogamo family, which is a tanuki family of four sons and their mom. And the main character\u2019s Yasaburo, the third son, who likes to hang out with tanuki\u2014sorry\u2014well, sometimes with the tanuki because he is a tanuki, but also likes to hang out with humans and tengu and cause mischief and get the groups to intermingle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And without spoiling anything, it essentially follows him and his family shortly after the death of their father as they are coming to terms with that and discovering some details about his death, and then the story just goes from there into almost a daily living of how things go for them over the course of a couple of years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Does that cover everything, do you guys think? Did I summarize it well enough?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah! That\u2019s good.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Okay, cool.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: And I think in terms of discussing the show, it\u2019s a little bit hard to separate out non-spoiler discussion from plot-relevant spoiler thoughts because everything kind of interweaves with each other, but I wanted to have us go around and basically give our impressions of the show and a brief pitch for, if we really loved it, why people should go check it out if they haven\u2019t, and then we\u2019re going to pull the spoiler lever and just go full in on everything.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Okay.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Annie, this was your pick.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: This was my pick! Okay, so this is one of my favorite shows of all time. I just find it so pleasant and kind of like slice-of-life but with that little bit of fun magic in it, like this could be real but it\u2019s not. But it could be.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s just a lot of fun and I thought, \u201cYasaburo\u2019s attitude of \u2018Hey, I\u2019m just kind of doing this because of my\u2026\u2019\u201d (what did he call it?) idiot blood or fool\u2019s blood or whatever? And he\u2019s just doing what he wants to do, and I kind of love that energy! And I just like watching everybody have a good time and have bad times. And Benten\u2019s hot, so\u2026<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: That\u2019s my pitch for this show.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: All right. Dee, I was interested in having you on because when I was looking through my Twitter timeline of people that have talked about the show, I\u2019d seen that you wrote really<\/a> enthusiastic articles<\/a> for Crunchyroll about it and seem to really love it. So I decided to have you on. What are your thoughts on the show?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I absolutely adore it. Yeah, it\u2019s top ten, possibly top five. I haven\u2019t put a list together in a while, so I\u2019m not sure where it would actually sit on there. But yeah, it\u2019s one of my favorite anime ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kind of like Annie was saying, the sort of fantasy slice-of-life, the way it\u2026 I saw somebody one time describe it as a weird show that doesn\u2019t act like it\u2019s weird. I mean, there\u2019s transformations and people flying around and there\u2019s ships in the sky and floating teahouses. And you walk through a door and suddenly are at the ocean, basically. And it\u2019s very much got that matter-of-fact quality that you find in a lot of older folklore, where the magic doesn\u2019t need an explanation; it just exists. It is part of this world. And I think that was what really kind of drew me into it: beautiful art and then that whole tone that the show had.<\/p>\n

And then as you go, it really starts to develop the characters and the family dynamic with the Shimogamo brothers and their mom that I think is really, really well done and provides a very human element to a story that could\u2019ve just been a lot of spectacle. And I think that\u2019s what gives it a lot of its staying power: there are multiple moments in this series where I will tear up or laugh out loud and get really invested in these delightful furballs. So, I think it\u2019s kind of the full package.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yeah, I\u2019ve written an article about it. When I traveled to Kyoto, I made a point of going to some of the different temples and things that are in the show because I wanted to see them. I am sitting here with a Yajiro plushie. So, I adore this show and I recommend it to everybody I can.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Is that an official plushie or was it commissioned?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, so, the city of Kyoto got really excited about Eccentric Family<\/em>, so when we went, there was still\u2026 It was like a year later after the second season had aired, but you could still find\u2026 they did special events around the city and had little character prop-ups and stuff. And the Shimogamo Shrine, and then there were a few other places where, in their gift shop, they\u2019d even have a few little Eccentric Family<\/em> items.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Aw.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: So I ended up getting this cute little drawstring bag that has character outlines on it. It\u2019s an adorable little bag. And then at the Animate in Kyoto, they still had some merch, so, keychains and plushies and stuff. And I kick myself to this day: I had the opportunity to get all four Shimogamo brothers as plushies, and I only got Yajiro the frog because I was worried about fitting them all in my suitcase. And I totally could have and I totally should have! But I\u2019ve got Yajiro with me today.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I love him.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Nice. Well, okay, not to be a downer\u2026<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [Gasps] Jeff, you need to leave!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Uh-oh.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Okay, so\u2014<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Jeff, if it\u2019s not glowing praise I want you to hang up this call.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Okay, so I\u2019m the only one that watched it for the first time for this podcast, and I had heard so much praise about it over the years\u2026 I guess my memory is failing because I thought recently there was a scare of it disappearing from Crunchyroll and then being added back a couple months later. But apparently that was way back in 2016, before the second season aired, and my memory is fading. Things that I thought were recent were a while ago. But yeah, I remember when there was that scare, I was like, \u201cOh, man, I should go watch it because everyone loves that show,\u201d and I just never got around to it, so I was happy when Annie forced me to watch it, because I was like, \u201cOh, I\u2019ve been meaning to watch it for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

And in terms of making our \u201cLove It or Weeb It\u201d verdict, I am on the fence because I did not universally love it. I like a lot of it, but I feel like there was a lot that just didn\u2019t vibe with me. I think a lot of the\u2026 There are lots of things that I can appreciate on paper that none of the actual emotional impact watching felt a little\u2026 It just didn\u2019t give me the biggest impact, especially, like I think Dee was saying, about treating these fantastical things as very normal and not worth commenting on. I see how that fits into their world, but it just made a lot of times where I was just confused by everyone\u2019s behavior and people were acting very illogical or unreasonable in ways I just couldn\u2019t really comprehend what the thought processes were.<\/p>\n

I think it comes down to: I love everything about the families. Everything that is in the show about family relationships, that is centered around the Shimogamo family and the brothers and especially the brothers\u2019 grief for their recently-passed-away father, all of that was fantastic. I even liked all the stuff with the rival Ebisugawa family. I thought that was all fantastic. Everything Benten and most things tengu, I just did not like at all and I just found very hard to relate to.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And yeah, there\u2019s a lot\u2026 The first episode in particular I felt was the most\u2026 After episode 1, I was like, \u201cI don\u2019t think I like this show at all.\u201d And then episode 2 and onwards, I was like, \u201cI do like this show. I just don\u2019t like the fact that episode 1 focused on mainly the Akadama and Benten stuff, which I found to be the weakest part of the show\u2014or not the weakest part of the show but the part I could relate to the least and was just the most wrapped in mystery.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, I have mixed feelings. But I think it\u2019s still a really fun show, and I think it\u2019s basically like, if someone\u2019s interested in Japanese folklore, 100% they should go watch it and try it out. And if someone has no knowledge of Japanese folklore and isn\u2019t really interested in learning about Japanese folklore, they might have a harder time. But I think if you have any inclination towards folklore, you\u2019d really appreciate this show.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: So you didn\u2019t like Benten at all? That\u2019s all I\u2019m taking away from this.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I mean, I could tell while I was watching, \u201cI bet Annie loves this character.\u201d<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yes, I do!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I\u2026 There\u2019s a lot that I do not like about how this show handles its female characters, and I feel like Benten is, in some ways, the epitome of it. And some of it is grounded in the actual folklore details, like about how tengu are known to kidnap children and train them in Noh. But there\u2019s a lot of huge gaps in the show that I find very uncomfortable, and Benten is at the center of a lot of them.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: But I love her. I want to say so many things, but I can\u2019t spoil things yet, I guess. Ah!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Okay, well, that\u2019s kind of my thoughts on being very mixed about the show.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I\u2019m kind of with Annie. I\u2019m like\u2026 how much do I want to say at this point? I see where you\u2019re coming from. I do think that this is one where if you\u2019re not interested in folklore in general and if you\u2019re not willing to kind of let yourself sink into that sort of folkloric logic, if that makes sense\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n

Because I think there are frequently times in this show where things that would bother me if the characters were humans don\u2019t bother me because I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, yeah, I mean, they\u2019re the raccoon dogs. Of course that\u2019s the way they see the world.\u201d And I appreciate series that kind of force you to look at things a little bit sideways, and I think Eccentric Family<\/em> does that with its characters sometimes in ways that are really interesting to me.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also not\u2026 I think\u2026 So, supposedly, The Eccentric Family<\/em> was going to be a three-novel\u2026 It was supposed to be a trilogy. And the third novel hasn\u2019t come out yet, and the anime has adaptations of the first two. So, as much as I adore this show, there is this tiny part of me that is aware that how the show wraps will significantly impact a lot of things.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Because I think Benten is fascinating. I think she exists in this space between being a really well-written, fleshed-out character and being this kind of stereotypical mysterious woman who you can never understand. And I keep feeling like it\u2019s right on the edge of really digging into that, and so the way the story wraps her arc up will have a lot of impact on how I feel about the series as a whole.<\/p>\n

So, I totally get your discomfort there. I also think I would argue that I think the show wants <\/em>us to find that a bit discomforting. I think Akadama is supposed to not be particularly likable. And I think we\u2019re not supposed to quite know what to think of Benten because Yasaburo is not quite sure what to think of her either. So I think some of that is baked into the story, but I can also understand how it could keep you at arm\u2019s length or not necessarily be enjoyable to watch. So, I get that.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah. I get that. Well, because I like Benten\u2019s story a lot, not just because of, like, wow, she\u2019s gorgeous, but [chuckles] I felt, without revealing anything too much, that a lot of it\u2019s like this is her story secretly and we\u2019re watching how she\u2019s recovering or taking control of her life and the world around her.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I agree with that.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: And she\u2019s my main character for this. And so, I do want it to wrap up differently, but watching what she goes throughout these seasons, I was just so invested in it and to her!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I agree. I do kind of feel like she\u2019s the secret protagonist, which, again, is why there\u2019s this part of me that\u2019s like, \u201cI just need to know how it wraps up, Morimi! How are you going to do this?\u201d<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Tell us! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, I\u2019ve heard (I don\u2019t know how official this was or if it was a rumor or if it was the author\u2019s stated goal) that the third book was\u2026 that their idea was for it to be titled The Great Tengu War<\/em>, so it seems like it would center on Benten even more, probably, based on that.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Mm-hm. Well, I mean, the second season to me very much feels like a bridge to the third book and the setup for what\u2019s going on with Benten and the Nidaime\u2014which, I think saying that isn\u2019t\u2026 I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a spoiler because nobody who\u2019s listening to this will know who the Nidaime is. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: That is something that I\u2019ve heard. Going into it, I didn\u2019t really know what people thought about season 1 versus season 2 and I was really excited. I thought season 2 was going to be better in every way. And listening to some podcasts afterwards, it seems like people are a lot more mixed on season 2 than season 1.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Mm-hm. Yeah.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: And I definitely see that now, and I think I kind of agree that I think I enjoyed season 1 more. But also, season 2 is based on the second book, which is titled The Nidaime Returns<\/em>. And after having watched season 2\u2026 we can get into this more when we get to spoilers, but I\u2019m like, I don\u2019t see the point of the Nidaime returning. So it does kind of feel like: why was there a second book\/season? Which probably will make sense once there\u2019s a third. But for now, I\u2019m kinda like, \u201cHm.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I think it kind of ties into what Annie was talking about, as Benten being the secret protagonist, and the Nidaime returning is very much a challenge to Benten\u2019s power. Because in the first season, she is the most powerful character and owns it in a lot of ways, and so season 2 is her having to deal with somebody else being as strong or stronger than she is.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And yeah, I think having that in the background\u2026 And again, it\u2019s all told through Yasaburo\u2019s perspective, so there\u2019s a lot of gray areas, the biggest one for me being: was Benten excited to be abducted by tengu or did she just kind of go along with it because she had no choice? So, yeah.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: See, that to me feels like the bit of\u2026 I\u2019m very happy to throw up my hands and let the show guide me when people are acting irrationally, if that irrationality is very founded in folklore. So, tengu kidnapping children and raising them or teaching them or whatever, once I heard that that was a fundamental piece of tengu lore, then I was like, \u201cokay, I take what\u2019s happening in the show a lot less literally and more as within the folklore space of the show.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the stuff that I find the most frustrating in the show, aside from Benten, is the whole Friday Fellows\/Friday Club\/Thursday Club, all of that stuff, and about the eating of tanuki in hot pots. Which, I\u2019ve looked into that a decent amount; it seems like that\u2019s not really based in folklore; that\u2019s based more in economics and classism of whether people had to eat tanuki to survive or not, and it\u2019s not really about\u2026 It doesn\u2019t seem like the Friday Fellows are a concept that comes from folklore. It seems like it\u2019s just a weird quirk of the show, and that\u2019s where I\u2019m like, \u201cHm. Okay, weird.\u201d But maybe we should get into spoilers to talk about that in more detail.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yes. Whoo!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I think that\u2019s a good idea.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Okay, I\u2019m pulling the lever. It\u2019s all spoilers from here on out.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, go away if you haven\u2019t watched it\/don\u2019t want to be spoiled!<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Okay, where do we start?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Annie, you were sitting on a lot that you wanted to say, so if you want to kick us off, I\u2019d say go for it.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Okay. I\u2019m obsessed with Benten. She\u2019s my icon. She\u2019s doing whatever she wants to do, and I feel like she\u2019s really taking back control of her life and herself because she was literally abducted by this gross old man who\u2019s a tengu.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And for me, watching her be powerful and not talk to him and kind of mess around with his emotions was her taking revenge and just flexing her power now, and she\u2019s like, \u201cYeah, I\u2019m powerful. I\u2019m a tengu, basically. If this is what happened to me and my life was taken over by this being, I\u2019m gonna own it and I\u2019m gonna be stronger than he ever was.\u201d And I was like, \u201cUgh, I love this!\u201d I love this story for her. And, I don\u2019t know, it felt like her rebelling against her, I guess, trauma from being kidnapped! And she did feel bad, I felt, about eating their dad.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, she definitely did.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: She cried a little. But I think she was just trying to, well, one, fit in with the Friday Fellows, the humans, because she\u2019s technically human. So she\u2019s trying to find that balance between being in the human world and this magical world. And every minute of it, I was waiting for her! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I don\u2019t think she was sad enough. That\u2019s why I find it frustrating. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I think\u2026 So, one thing, Jeff, and I guess this is directed specifically at you, sorry\u2026<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: One great thing about Eccentric Family<\/em> is every time I watch it, I pick up on other things and I enjoy it more. And I\u2019ve seen it several times now, and I\u2019m always surprised that the next time I watch it I\u2019m like, \u201cI like it even more than I did the last time! Wow!\u201d And it is because you\u2019ll pick up on little nuggets dropped or you\u2019ll pay\u2026 There\u2019s a lot in the art that is this kind of subtext of the characters that you won\u2019t necessarily pick up the first time you\u2019re watching it because, you know, you\u2019re watching it to see what happens next.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And Benten is very quietly sad around Yasaburo a lot, and it kind of plays into this\u2026 kind of what Annie was saying: I do think that a lot of Benten\u2019s arc is about her trying to kind of take back and regain power over people who have wielded power over her for so long.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But at the same time, there are costs that she had to pay to get to that position, and there are moments where\u2026 One of my favorite scenes is right after the\u2026 (it\u2019s also one of my favorite episodes of anime, period) is after Yasaburo entertains the Friday Fellows in the first season and they go on that rooftop walk, him and Benten and Yodagawa. And Benten throughout that, it feels like she\u2019s always kind of trying to apologize to him but doesn\u2019t know how to do it and eventually sort of just disappears sadly into the autumn leaves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And I think that push and pull with her character is really fascinating as somebody who has kind of become isolated by the sheer amount of power she wields and what she had to do to get to that position. Which is also why I think season 2 is really interesting because I think it sets us up with the possibility of her possibly finding somebody who\u2019s on equal footing with her in the Nidaime, and so where that situation goes in the third book to me will be really, really interesting to see.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, I feel like that\u2019s why she likes Yasaburo so much, is because he\u2019s the only one who\u2019s not terrified of her and he still messes with her and hangs out with her, and she\u2019s like, \u201cThat\u2019s why you\u2019re my favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Well, and they\u2019re both kind of tricksters, right? Both of them are very much into \u201cOh, this might be interesting\u201d or \u201cOh, this might be fun. Let\u2019s just do it and see what happens.\u201d And so, I think they\u2019re kind of cut from the same cloth in that respect.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I guess I just\u2026 Hm. The stuff that I find awkward about Yasaburo and Benten\u2019s relationship is that I guess it felt like this threat of getting eaten in a hot pot was brought up so much, but it never felt like it made sense to me the way they were acting about it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As I was thinking about why it felt frustrating, I kept thinking about Beastars<\/em>, another show where there is a natural predator-and-prey dynamic, but I never felt that kind of confusion watching Beastars<\/em> because it felt like the characters were almost the other extreme where it was like, \u201cYou are my natural predator. I don\u2019t even want to be around you. I\u2019m scared to be around you,\u201d and they\u2019re allowed to be like, \u201cNo, we\u2019re in school. It\u2019s normal. I\u2019m not going to eat you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And this, instead, felt like lots of characters bringing up \u201cBenten could eat us! Benten could eat us!\u201d and Yasaburo [being] like, \u201cI\u2019m fine, though.\u201d And it\u2019s like, but why are you so overly confident? Why are you so chill about this when your dad just died by her hands?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Well, they were friends! They were both students under, what\u2019s his name, Akadama.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah\u2026 And\u2026 Actually, looping back to a point you made, Dee, about appreciating things more on rewatch, I got a taste of that because I disliked episode 1 so much and was so confused by things that were going on, that once I finished I went back and didn\u2019t watch the whole episode but I watched a decent part of it, and I was able to pick up on a lot more things that I did not understand and there was a lot more nuance and subtle details that I appreciated a lot more. So, I definitely think that if I did go back and rewatch it, I would appreciate the nuance and not be so caught up on the bigger plot things, that I would maybe notice the smaller character details.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah. Yasaburo\u2019s definitely a character I appreciate more and more every time I rewatch the show. There\u2019s a definite discomfort around Benten, especially in that first season, because\u2026 And he is kind of always digging at her about the hot pot stuff and \u201cOh, but you\u2019re actually a terrible human. You can call yourself a tengu all you like, but\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, their relationship is very tense, but I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that he was madly in love with her and then this terrible thing happened to his dad that she was a part of, and he doesn\u2019t know how to reconcile those two feelings. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Mm-hm. Ugh, it\u2019s so good.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Well, okay, so I was alluding to it before, but I find that I would be a lot more accepting of the way that everyone was acting about the hot pot death if the Friday Fellows or Friday Club were a thing rooted in a folklore and them eating tanuki was a thing that was a base fact about folklore, but it seems like it\u2019s a base fact of this world and I never understood why. It felt like it was like this is a tradition that can never be changed up until the end of season 1 where Yodagawa betrays them and says that he is<\/em> gonna change it.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah. Well, it\u2019s a fictional version of Japan, because\u2026<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [feigning surprise] What?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Because tengus don\u2019t actually exist. So it\u2019s just a world where that\u2019s the tradition.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I guess\u2026 [Sighs]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: You gotta get rid of this<\/em> world in your mind, Jeff. You gotta get emerged [sic<\/em>] in this fictional version of Japan, because I can definitely see there\u2019s, like, a weird secret society that\u2019s like, \u201cWe have to eat this one animal every year on the same day.\u201d That probably exists. I don\u2019t even know. But\u2026<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: So, apparently, eating tanuki is a thing that\u2026 I think they mention this in the show, that tanuki are known for eating lots of bad ingredients. They\u2019re known for tasting bad because they eat such bad stuff, so that\u2019s why it\u2019s generally like you would never choose to eat tanuki, so it was apparently a thing historically you\u2019d only do if you were very poor, you had no other choices. And so, it\u2019s become a weird thing that no one would choose to do now when people aren\u2019t as limited for food sources. And so it\u2019s just weird that there\u2019s this secret society, which I also don\u2019t\u2026 I never understood the secret society.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: They\u2019re just a weird, old secret society.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: It never felt grounded.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: It doesn\u2019t need to be grounded, Jeff. It\u2019s a mysterious\u2014<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [seeking to clarify] No, no, no, no, no\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Jeff, they\u2019re just the rich, old, powerful dudes of the city who have been getting together for centuries and continue to do so. And also, honestly, I kinda love the idea that this meal that used to be only something that you would eat when you were destitute and starving has now become a delicacy in the modern world because nobody else does it, because that\u2019s such a thing old rich people would do! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

And I mean, I think the other thing to keep in mind with Eccentric Family<\/em> and the world they inhabit is most of the humans have no idea that tanuki are sentient creatures. They\u2019re just raccoon dogs to them. They\u2019re not aware of the mythological world around them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of them are. Especially in season 2, we start to get a feel for the people who know what\u2019s going on below the surface. I think the fact that Jurojin leads the Friday Fellows and is very deeply steeped in the magic-and-wizardry side of Kyoto, I feel like that probably has something to do with the fact that they\u2019re doing the tanuki hot pots, because I think Jurojin sucks.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: But, again, I feel like they\u2019re setting him up to be a main antagonist maybe in the next book, and so it\u2019s hard to\u2026 Some of the things in this show are really hard to talk about because of the unfinished nature of the source material.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I guess I just feel like Yodagawa-sensei epitomizes for me what I find so weird about how they treat the sentience of the tanuki, because before he met Soichiro and talked with Soichiro, it seems like he, I assumed, thought tanuki were not sentient. And then he talks to Soichiro, and it seems like that should be a mind-shattering reveal.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: He says afterwards, though, that he assumes he fell asleep and had a dream.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [realizing] Oh.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] When he tells Yasaburo about it, he\u2019s like, \u201cI had such a strange dream about this tanuki spirit talking to me about how it didn\u2019t mind us eating it because it had lived this full life.\u201d And then at the end of every season, Yasaburo catches up with him and he\u2019s like, \u201cI don\u2019t know how to explain what happened the night of Friday Fellows! What a weird night!\u201d<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I guess I was just confused, then, because then there was also the episode where Benten basically drags Yasaburo to the Friday Fellows and makes him perform as entertainment. And I could have sworn that episode he explains that he can transform because he\u2019s a tanuki to<\/em> Yodagawa.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: At the club meeting, they say something like, \u201cOh, man! You\u2019re just like a tanuki with your transformation art,\u201d and he\u2019s like, \u201cHa-ha-ha, yeah, I\u2019m totally a tanuki.\u201d But again, you have to remember that the humans in this world\u2026 I mean, it\u2019s like if you met somebody who was a really good magician, you\u2019re like, \u201cMan, it\u2019s like you\u2019re a real wizard!\u201d and they were like, \u201cYep! I\u2019m a wizard.\u201d You would just assume they were kidding.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: But they actually are a wizard! Surprise!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Okay. So that definitely colored my interpretation of all the scenes with Yodagawa later on, especially when he was on the\u2026 I think it was in that same episode or after the meeting, when he\u2019s on the roof with\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, and they\u2019re having the philosophical conversation about consuming meat, basically? Yeah.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I just found that that philosophical conversation was very interesting, but also colored by my interpretation that he was at the end of the day justifying killing sentient beings. I was just like, \u201cThis is an interesting idea but also complete BS because he\u2019s talking about killing sentient beings.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah. But no, he still thinks that tanuki aren\u2019t sentient.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Okay, so I guess even by the end of season 2, he still doesn\u2019t think they\u2019re sentient.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: No. Yodagawa has not put those pieces\u2026 The sweet idiot, who I love very much, has not put those pieces together. But, by God, he\u2019s gonna rescue every tanuki in Kyoto if he can!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Okay, so that changes my interpretation a lot.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: He is a sweetie. He\u2019s dumb but he\u2019s a sweetie.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I did not like, though\u2026 This is only a tiny part of the series, so maybe I\u2019m reading too much into it, but when he gets\u2026 not fired but he gets kicked out of teaching, I think, from his university because he is quote-unquote \u201cframed for sexual harassment\u201d?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I didn\u2019t care for that.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Oh, yeah. Didn\u2019t like that one bit. There\u2019s a lot of things I didn\u2019t like.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [Gasps] Annie, I heard that if you aren\u2019t glowingly positive about everything about the show, then you\u2019re gonna get kicked off the call.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] No, your overall interpretation has to be glowingly positive, but you can nitpick at things. Like, Jeff, you sent me a screenshot of the first episode\u2026<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh yeah! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: And I was like, \u201cYeah, I wouldn\u2019t like that either if I didn\u2019t already know the rest of it was good!\u201d It was when Yasaburo\u2019s transformed into a girl and he goes and visits the professor, like \u201cWon\u2019t this cheer you up? I\u2019m a schoolgirl!\u201d And I was like, \u201cUgh!\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: \u201cLet\u2019s go past it. Let\u2019s go past it.\u201d [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, that was another angle of the first episode that I really did not like, and the fact that it\u2019s never really brought up again, him transforming into that schoolgirl look, made me wonder if it was an anime-original thing to frame the world in a little side story kind of thing.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I\u2019m obviously also not fond of the series starting off that way. Though I do like that it kind of sets up the fact that tanuki are pretty chill about gender presentation, because then his mom walks around as a prince, which is so great!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Oh, I love her!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: So, that was the one thing I didn\u2019t like about it. But yeah, no, Akadama is an old creep, and I, 90% of the time, do not like him. He\u2019s very much an old tengu, I think, in a lot of ways.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I think it\u2019d be more accepting of his old tengu ways if the characters hated on him more for it. I feel like everyone\u2019s kind of accepting of it.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah. I do agree. I think they\u2026 Well, on the one hand, there was, I think, for a long time, the fear that he would trash their homes because he was this all-powerful tengu. And now I think Yasaburo just pities him, honestly. We know there was some incident that he and Benten did to trick him, and it ended up in blowing out his back and not being able to fly anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And so, we definitely start the story with Akadama at his lowest\u2014 I think we start the story with most of the characters at their lowest point and then kind of go from there. So, he gets a little better in season 2. He\u2019s kind of nice to the Shimogamo family in season 2. But it\u2019s hard to forget the fact that he starts the show as an old creep.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I think Yasaburo gets to a lower point in season 2 when he goes to Hell, but\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Laughs] Quite literally a lower point. But, oh, he was kind of having fun, though. He got to transform into an oni and watch some wrestling, so it all worked out.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: So, is that supposed to be\u2026 Do we think that\u2019s literally Hell and the painting was a portal to Literal Hell, or was it like a world within the painting?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I thought it was a portal to Literal Hell, but I might be wrong.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I\u2019m pretty sure it is a portal to Literal Hell. Well, the Hell Screen is\u2026 Oh, God, I\u2019m looking this up as we\u2019re doing this, so you might need to cut some information.\u00a0<\/p>\n

No, so, the Hell Screen is a reference to an Akutagawa story about an artist who gets commissioned to paint the painting of Hell that we see in the picture. And I can\u2019t remember within the story itself if there\u2019s anything about the screen being a literal portal to Hell or not, but I do know that it\u2019s kind of toying with that concept.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But yeah, I mean, when the demon arms come out at the end and drag Soun and Tenmaya down to Hell, I\u2019m pretty sure they\u2019re going to Literal Hell, where they honestly belong at this point in the story.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, when season 2 started and it was like, okay, it\u2019s gonna be introducing all these new characters, these new family members, and then Tenmaya, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m so intrigued to see how Tenmaya fits into things,\u201d and by the end I was like, \u201cNo, get him away. I don\u2019t want to see him at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Go to hell, Tenmaya.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles] Exactly.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Okay, also, wasn\u2019t everyone so cute, Jeff? Don\u2019t you just love everybody?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Okay, the tanuki\u2026 I wish they were in tanuki form more, because they are very cute.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: They\u2019re adorable as tanuki.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I love them all! Who\u2019s your favorite of the brothers?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: In tanuki form or in general as characters?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Oh, let\u2019s go with tanuki form.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I don\u2019t really remember the differences in their tanuki forms.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Wow! Okay, fine. In general, then! Why would you ask?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Actually, no, I think Yaichiro actually, because he still has his absurd anime hair but as a tanuki.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] His hairstyle, yeah!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: It\u2019s so cute.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: He does! That is adorable.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: In both forms? As tanuki and overall, Yaichiro is your favorite?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Hm, I think as an overall character I liked Yajiro the best, because I really like his position as a frog in a well. First of all, I really like the flavor text of that, just the\u2026 So, apparently it\u2019s based on a saying of\u2026 I think the saying is like \u201cA frog in a well can\u2019t see the ocean in front of him\u201d or something?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: It\u2019s \u201cA frog in the well knows nothing of the sea.\u201d So it\u2019s the idea that you\u2019re limited by your surroundings and you don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know, basically.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Mm-hm. So, I just love the flavor of everyone referring to him, \u201cOh, he\u2019s just a frog in a well,\u201d and that\u2019s a thing in this world that\u2019s like \u201cOh, yeah. A frog in a well. Obviously, a frog in a well.\u201d But I just felt like it was such an interesting\u2026 not quite arc, but basically his self-exile into the well because of his guilt over\u2026 he thought that he let his father die.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [sad] I know.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: That felt really resonant. And then just being stuck as a frog and having to struggle with what he can or can\u2019t do because he\u2019s stuck as a frog. Like the moment when Yashiro pours the alcohol down the well and he transforms into the train, just directly from frog to train inside of\u2026<\/p>\n

[Laughter]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I love the idea that frog is now his base form because he was a frog for so long, so he actually has to focus on becoming a tanuki. And yeah, it ends up being kind of a nice little metaphor for grief and depression. You know, it\u2019s a gradual process, he needs some medicine to help with it along the way, he\u2019s slowly able to start seeing his family again, and then he decides to go off and see the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yeah, I really like Yajiro\u2019s story as well. He\u2019s probably, lowkey, my favorite, although I definitely vibe hard with Yashiro\u2019s terrible, terrible anxiety about wanting to make the family proud!<\/p>\n

[Laughter]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: He\u2019s such a high-strung mess.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I love all of them! They were all so good. And when they were in the floating teahouse and everyone else is like, \u201cIt\u2019s war!\u201d and he\u2019s like, \u201cGuys! Please! We can\u2019t do this!\u201d and then his mom\u2019s like, \u201cWe\u2019re doing it, son,\u201d and I was like\u2026<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I was like, \u201cI love him.\u201d I think I would have been him in that situation, like \u201cGuys, we can\u2019t shoot things at someone else!\u201d Like, crying and everyone\u2019s loading up the cannon.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I\u2019m a little bummed that Yajiro\u2026 I thought when he got on the train and left, it was so sad and resonant with me. I was kind of bummed that it kind of was ultimately for the plot convenience of looping back around and finding the real Kureiichiro. I kind of wish that he actually just stayed away, but maybe he\u2019s gonna keep traveling and stuff, so\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I get the sense he\u2026 Well, he said he wanted to go back to Shikoku, so I get the sense he\u2019s gonna go on another journey at some point. So, hopefully the frog in the well will get to see more of the sea as he goes forward. He\u2019s adorable.<\/p>\n

How did you guys feel about\u2026? Since we\u2019re talking about all the good tanuki, how do you like the tanuki girls, Gyokuran and Kaisei? Jeff, I know you said you had some issues with how the show treats its female characters, but I love both of them. How about you guys?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh, yeah, I think both of them are fantastic.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Kaisei, I adored from the get-go. It was also very relatable because I have brothers, too, and she was just throwing things at them and she\u2019s like, \u201cMy idiot<\/em> brothers!\u201d and then Yasaburo would be like, \u201cYeah, they suck.\u201d She\u2019s like, \u201cHow dare you?\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Laughs] \u201cOnly I get to say that!\u201d<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: \u201cHow dare you call my brothers\u2026?\u201d I was like, \u201cWow, that\u2019s mood.\u201d<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Absolutely in love with her. And, ah, I did\u2014 Okay, so I cried a lot watching this show, too, even on the rewatch, when she is sad that when Yasaburo sees her, he can\u2019t hold his transformation. I was crying because she went through all this effort this whole time. That was all for him. I was like, \u201cAh, she\u2019s too good! She\u2019s too good for him, honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I hadn\u2019t thought of it that way. Hm. I thought it was really cute the whole time how she\u2026 it\u2019s kind of perfect tsundere attitude, following him along but never letting him see her.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Letting him know she\u2019s there? Yeah.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: And I remember in season 1 feeling like, oh, Kaisei\u2019s kind of a tsundere and it\u2019s gonna turn out that the reason she\u2026 she\u2019s just too shy to see him, is kind of the way everybody plays it off. And then in season 2, you find out that she was doing it to kind of keep him safe because if his transformation exploded in the middle of the street, that would be a huge problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, yeah, I like\u2026 Morimi does\u2014 The author of the stories, the way he writes women is interesting? I\u2019m not gonna say it\u2019s\u2014<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, good word. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I don\u2019t want to say \u201cgood,\u201d because I think there\u2019s definitely some stuff you could criticize in some of his other works. So, he did Tatami Galaxy<\/em> and The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl<\/em> and Penguin Highway<\/em>. And I think he\u2019s kind of up and down. But I do think that he sometimes tries to play with the archetypes and take them in some interesting directions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And so, I like the way Kaisei ends up being sort of the unsung hero of these first two books\u2014first two seasons, since we\u2019re talking about the anime\u2014in terms of how she\u2019s kind of constantly in the background helping to make sure that things go well. Yeah, I think she\u2019s a really fun character.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And I like that by the end of season 2, she and Yasaburo have both kind of acknowledged that they are both very stubborn, headstrong trickster types, but they figured out ways to work together and they kind of like that about each other. So, by the end of season 2, I\u2019m kind of into their relationship. I think they\u2019ll match up well, going forward.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I was sold on their relationship as soon as they had the onsen scene where they were just talking over the wall and she was throwing stuff at him, and I was like\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Chucking fruit at him.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah. I was like, oh no, they\u2019re kind of perfect. Oh no!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: They kind of are. I think Yasaburo does sort of need somebody who\u2019s willing to go on adventures but will also call him out on his crap. And so, I think Kaisei\u2019s kind of perfect in that regard. And yeah, she\u2019s a very fun character.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, my thing about female characters like Kaisei, Tousen, Gyokuran\u2026 I like all of them\u2014and Benten\u2014<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Thank you.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: \u2014but what I don\u2019t like is how normalized the ogling of them by men and especially older men.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: God, men are disgusting. We should\u2026 [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: All of the\u2026 There\u2019s so many\u2026 There\u2019s Kaisei being\u2026 [Sighs] I guess when I\u2019m saying I love Yajiro, I forgot that one of his whole predicaments is that he has a crush on Kaisei and that\u2019s why he wants to leave, and I do not like that at all. And I also don\u2019t like how once he goes to Shikoku and he gets a love interest there that\u2019s also another young child.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Well, I don\u2019t think they\u2019re that\u2026 So, here\u2019s the problem with the age thing: I have no idea how old any of these tanuki are, because they\u2019re tanuki! They\u2019re raccoon dogs! So, I\u2019ve decided to just\u2026 Like, I agree, in human form she looks very young. In tanuki form she\u2019s not small like Yashiro is; she looks like a full-grown tanuki. So, I have decided to just assume that that is just the form she likes to take, is a short girl.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But no, I get what you\u2019re saying about some age-gap issues, but I don\u2019t know how to approach it because, again, they\u2019re tanuki. I don\u2019t know what to do with that.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I think a lot of it\u2019s that whole\u2026 It\u2019s a similar issue to the anime that\u2019s like a little girl who talks like a little girl, looks like a little girl, but \u201cI\u2019m a thousand years old actually!\u201d and it\u2019s kind of a similar aesthetic. But I don\u2019t know!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also, now that I looked at who the writer is and you mentioned The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl<\/em>, which\u2026 Okay, everyone hates this, but I hated<\/em> that. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I hated it because\u2026 that guy who was obsessed with her the whole time, she ends up going to him in the end and taking care of him because he\u2019s sick, and I hated that and I never wanted to see that again. And also, the men in that were gross! And I\u2019m like, oh, it does make sense that the men in this are gross because\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: So, I also had some\u2026 We probably shouldn\u2019t spend too much time talking about Morimi\u2019s other works because this is not a, you know, podcast for those other shows.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Sorry. Sorry!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: No, it\u2019s fine!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I brought it up, so that\u2019s on me.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: No. Tangents are fine.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: The one thing I do kind of like about both The Tatami Galaxy<\/em> and The Night Is Short<\/em>, because they kind of exist in the same universe, is they\u2019re both kind of stories about these guys who put these women on pedestals and become kind of obsessed with them, and at the end of the day, the narrative tells them, \u201cStop doing that. She\u2019s a person. Just ask her on a date if you like her.\u201d And so, I do kind of appreciate that in some ways I think Morimi\u2019s work kind of tries to break down that idea of \u201cthe unattainable mysterious lady,\u201d but I think he leans into a lot of stuff I don\u2019t care for along the way sometimes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eccentric Family<\/em> is by far my favorite of his works that have been adapted into anime because I think it takes a slightly different approach than his other stories do. But yeah, it makes his female characters both interesting and kind of frustrating because a lot of the time they end up just sort of being vehicles for the guy\u2019s growth, which is unfortunate because they\u2019re all really cool ladies along the way!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah. All of these characters, I was kind of sad to think about\u2026 I was thinking about whether they interact with each other. And I was like, \u201cWait, no, kind of,\u201d because Kaisei kind of only exists for Yasaburo\u2019s story. Gyokuran kind of only exists for Yaichiro\u2019s story. Tousen, I guess, interacts with lots of people, but they all do kind of feel like they\u2019re in these little boxes, which is sad.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah. There\u2019s some implication\u2026 Just based on some of the things that Gyokuran says, there\u2019s implication that Gyokuran and Kaisei know each other outside of their relationship to the Shimogamo boys and get along well, but we never see it. So, I agree with you that I think more scenes with the girls just hanging out would be really cool, because I love both Kaisei and Gyokuran.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The other thing I love is Gyokuran and Yaichiro\u2019s little love story, because I love that Yaichiro got angry at Gyokuran for losing on purpose.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I did like that.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Because you see that so often in fiction where it\u2019s like the guy doesn\u2019t like the tough girl who\u2019s better than he is, and so, \u201cOh, well, you should lose on purpose so he won\u2019t feel threatened.\u201d I think that\u2019s a thing a lot of girls have heard growing up. And so I love that Eccentric Family<\/em> is like, \u201cNo! You beat his ass! And if he doesn\u2019t like it, then he\u2019s not worthy of you!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And Yaichiro doesn\u2019t care! He\u2019s into it! He loves that Gyokuran is really good at shogi. And so, I think their relationship\u2026 Also, the fact that they both turn into tigers when they get mad is very funny.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh, it\u2019s so cute.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I know!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I\u2019m obsessed with them! They\u2019re so cute! But I did love that moment because it is a really common thing for the girls to just let the guy win a lot of times, and for him to directly call it out and be like, \u201cNo, I like that you\u2019re great at this, and you should never let anyone else beat you.\u201d And I was like, \u201cDo I love this man? Yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I know! Yaichiro earned a lot of points for me at that moment. I was like, \u201cOh! You\u2019re a good<\/em> Shimogamo boy.\u201d They\u2019re all good boys!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I love how they keep playing on that shogi keyboard that\u2026 it has some teeth marks on the side, but there\u2019s also a gash in the top, so I don\u2019t think you can actually use it but they keep using it anyway.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles] It has sentimental value at this point.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, I think the only female character that her story isn\u2019t based just around Yasaburo or that family\u2026 Benten, she\u2019s just doing her thing. The family\u2026 yeah, she did eat their dad but her story is not about her eating the dad. She went to Hell, she beat up some people\u2026 [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Benten\u2019s got a lot going on.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: She\u2019s got a lot going on!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: She\u2019s very much got her own life outside of the Shimogamo family. Which, yeah, I do appreciate that about her.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I want her to have one friend who\u2019s not Yasaburo, though.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah. What do you think of her and the Nidaime, because I kind of feel like the show is setting us up for them to be\u2014<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Together?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: \u2014enemies-to-lovers kind of setup, right?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I would be kind of into it, but also not, because the Nidaime\u2019s rude!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: He is a rude boy. But to be fair, Benten\u2019s rude, too!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] He threw her on the floor!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Benten is also very rude.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: You\u2019re right! She couldn\u2019t have anyone mild. She would need someone who can match her level.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I do kind of like how they\u2019re rude to each other, especially the stuff with the chaise, with the sofa.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [Gasps] It was so good.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Oh, God!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: What does he do? He\u2026<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Throws her on the floor!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: He pushes her off, and then she just goes through his closet and steps on all of his clothes.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: All his beautifully, recently ironed shirts? Yeah.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I actually was in love with that scene because he puts down a sheet. He\u2019s like, \u201cStay where you are! Fine, if you don\u2019t want to get up, I\u2019m gonna do this,\u201d puts the sheet down and then throws her onto it! Because he\u2019s a gentleman; he\u2019s not going to put her on the floor<\/em>.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Their fight\u2026 I was so anxious the whole time.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: It\u2019s a really brutal fight. It\u2019s not a pretty anime fight where they\u2019re flinging wind and fire at each other and running at each other from a distance with swords drawn. They are pulling hair and biting, and it is brutal to watch.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, I thought it was really well done, and it did hurt me and stressed me out, but also, the aftermath, I really\u2026 Like, it hurt me but I enjoyed how it was done. Poor Benten, love of my life.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I know I was saying that the show kind of starts with everybody at their lowest point, but I think Benten\u2019s lowest point is at the end of season 2, which is, again, another reason why to me it so much feels like a bridge season that is setting us up for\u2026 This season was Benten\u2019s fall, right? And then next season is \u201cwhere does she go from here?\u201d Because the Shimogamo family kind of have their shit together at this point.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh, speaking of Benten\u2019s fall, one little detail that, for most of season 1, I kind of ignored: the (what do you call it?) cuts to commercial where it would show a map of Kyoto, the map of the scenes that are happening? Because it just came on screen too fast for me to pause and look at it. But I noticed in season 2, the episode where they\u2019re doing the thing where they ride the luxury liners in the sky and\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Mm-hm. During the festival.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, and watch the fire burning in the mountains. In that episode, the ad break came up and mentioned a point on the map that was like \u201cThis is where Benten falls in the river.\u201d And I was like, \u201cWhat? When did that happen?\u201d And then she falls later in the episode. I was like, \u201cOh. Okay!\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles] It\u2019s a very subtle bit of foreshadowing or a spoiler, depending on how you want to look at it.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: So, yeah, I\u2019m not sure if all the episodes had little bits of spoilers\/foreshadowing in there or if that was just that one episode.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Some of the maps are about things that will happen later, are about locations that happen later in the episode, but I think that\u2019s the only one that mentions a spot where something happens to a character specifically. So, yeah, they make it out to really be a big deal when it happens. God, that\u2019s a beautiful scene! God, this show is so beautiful!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: It was so stunning to look at. Jeff, at least admit that.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, yeah.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Thank you. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: It looked pretty.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: It was good. I like the art style a lot.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh, wait, speaking of the art style\u2026 So, I was scrambling last-minute to update our notes for the staff behind the show. And then I got to the last thing on my list, the art director, and the last episode we recorded was that Great Pretender<\/em>. And I went to go update it. I was like, \u201cWait, why is Eccentric Family<\/em> already here? Oh! It\u2019s the same art director. Okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles] Yeah!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: It\u2019s perfect!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Great Pretender<\/em> had such fantastic backgrounds, and this is definitely not that same vibe, but still really fantastic.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: It\u2019s that same, though, bright, kind of pop art colors that catch the feel more than the actual reality of the colors. Does that make sense? I think that\u2014because I remember when I started watching Great Pretender<\/em>, I was like, \u201cWhy did these backgrounds look so familiar?\u201d And I was like, [gasps] \u201cEccentric Family<\/em>!\u201d And I immediately went to the Anime News Network page, and I was like, \u201cI was right! Same art director!\u201d So, yeah, it\u2019s a very distinctive style, but I think it\u2019s a really gorgeous way to show off the vibe of the world, because this show made me want to go to Kyoto.<\/p>\n

And real Kyoto is, by the way, maybe not quite as colorful, but just as beautiful as the show makes it out to be, and definitely has that feeling\u2014with all the old shrines and temples and government buildings and things\u2014very much has that feel of: you could turn a corner and be in the Japanese version of Wonderland. There is that sense of magic being just right out of reach. It\u2019s a very, very neat city, and I think this show is in some ways a love letter to Kyoto itself.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, there\u2019s lots of locations that have\u2026 Now I sound like humblebragging. I\u2019ve gone to a lot of locations, especially for Digimon<\/em> locations in real life, which are mostly in Tokyo, and a lot of places in industrial Tokyo look sad in real life compared to how they look in anime.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: They do, right? [Chuckles] I thought the same thing. Kyoto is not, though. Kyoto does not look sad.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Kyoto\u2026 There were so many scenes in this show, especially along the river or at nighttime\u2026 Anything that was at nighttime, I was like, \u201cIt looks beautiful, but also exactly as I remember it.\u201d It really does look that beautiful in real life.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I\u2019m getting sad, because when I went to Kyoto, I got really sick, so I was in the hotel for like two days, just ill!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Oh no!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: The one thing I did do is I went all the way to that one shrine that has all the torii that go up the mountain.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Oh, the Inari Shrine.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, that one. And I made it halfway up and I was like, \u201cI\u2019m still sick!\u201d and I had to go back down. I\u2019m so sad! I wanted to go!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I\u2019m proud of you for climbing half of it. See, you\u2019ll just have to go back so you can hit up all the other\u2026<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Thank you. I will.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: \u2026 so you can do the full Eccentric Family<\/em> Tour of Kyoto!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, it did not click to me in my head (I guess I never put the connection) that it was where Eccentric Family<\/em> was! And I kept seeing the little plushies everywhere, and I was like, \u201cThis is cute! Why do they have this?\u201d<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Ugh. My ill brain.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I think the city lowkey sponsored season 2. You know there\u2019s always a list of producers, and sometimes the city that the show takes place [in] will be a sponsor of the show. I think Kyoto really, really embraced this one, which I totally get why. Again, it really is a love letter to the city.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, yeah. Speaking of art direction, I want to talk about the openings, because I thought the first opening starts off great\u2026 Actually, I\u2019m not gonna comment on the music; I\u2019m only commenting on the visuals. But the visuals in the first opening start off really interesting, really fun, and then just by the middle point is just showing real live-action footage of Kyoto, and I found it pretty boring, and then it seems like 60% of the opening is focusing on Yasaburo and Yasaburo only. And I was like, \u201cMm, I don\u2019t like\u2026\u201d Especially after episode 1, where I was like, \u201cIs this just the Yasaburo show? Is it only about him?\u201d and I was pretty down on it.<\/p>\n

But the opening for season 2\u2026 After the first opening, I was like, \u201cI don\u2019t really like this live-action thing they\u2019re mixing.\u201d But the opening for season 2, with the way they mixed the 2D characters with 3D live-action, looks so good! It\u2019s just full of chaotic energy with characters all over the place, and it\u2019s so\u2026 I really love that aesthetic. It\u2019s so nice.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I enjoy all the openings and all the endings of this show. It\u2019s top-to-bottom very good. But yeah, you can feel them leaning into it in season 2, especially with the opening, like \u201cNo, real-life Kyoto, that\u2019s where we are! Check it out!\u201d<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I know it was probably the marketing of Kyoto, but I thought it was such a fun \u201cHey! We\u2019re in the real world, but we\u2019re also not. This could be real,\u201d blending the two.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I totally agree.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: And also, in the first one, I\u2019m so sorry: I don\u2019t remember the visuals at all because I really liked the song!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I like the song in season 1 better than season 2.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah. Season 1, where it starts off hype, I\u2019m like, \u201cWhoo! Okay, let\u2019s go!\u201d And I\u2019m just listening. I\u2019m not looking at the screen at all. I\u2019m sorry to everybody\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles] You\u2019re just rocking out.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: \u2026 who worked on the opening! I was just jamming to the music. But I remember in season 2\u2019s opening, they have this one\u2014 because they just cut out animation from the first season and put it in the opening. They have my favorite thing of when Benten is using the fan at one point and she just slowly whips it around and then unleashes the gust of wind, and they put that in the opening. I was like, \u201cUgh, that\u2019s my favorite scene! Thank you!\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: That was really good.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I was obsessed with when they had to row to her\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Her clocktower home? Yeah.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah! And then she had the wind, and then she went and rode a whale?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: She pulled his tail because she just felt like doing it that day.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yes! And it was incredible.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Like Jeff was saying, I don\u2019t love the way that Akadama kind of leers at Benten, but I do love that Benten is one of the very few anime characters I can think of where I genuinely feel like she as a character owns her sexuality.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yes!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: You know what I mean?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: She got naked and it didn\u2019t feel gross to me.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: No, it didn\u2019t feel like the camera was ogling her. It just felt like, yeah, Benten is naked. She wanted to be naked here and now she is. It keeps it at a distance and it\u2019s never\u2026 Yeah, it doesn\u2019t\u2026 Yeah, I agree with you. I think she is very sexy, but I think she is sexy in a way that doesn\u2019t feel like objectification, I guess is how I would describe it.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Mm-hm. I feel like the show is more like: Akadama is gross for doing that to her, but she has owned it and what happened. Ugh, he makes me so angry because Benten\u2019s my favorite and he clearly groomed her because she was stolen as a child, and I\u2019m just like, ugh!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, and the show tap-dances around their relationship. I don\u2019t know if him lusting after her now is a new thing or something extremely creepy that\u2019s been going on since she was a kid, but yeah, that always kind of sits in the background of the show, like \u201cWhat was life like for you, Benten, after you were abducted by this tengu?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And knowing the folklore, I do not believe that the element of a sexual relationship is necessarily in it. In fact, I think most of the time they abduct dudes and it\u2019s just not really addressed. But yeah, it adds an uncomfortable layer to their relationship at times where it\u2019s like, I don\u2019t know how I\u2019m supposed to read this! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Mm-hm. It was very uncomfortable, especially (was in the first episode?) where Yasaburo transforms into Benten\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: \u2026 and he gropes her, and it\u2019s fucking gross.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] He gropes her! And I\u2019m like, \u201cI\u2019ll kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: And we never see that with Benten herself. We never actually see him act that way with Benten herself, which is why that first episode is to me very weird in ways, in that it doesn\u2019t quite jive with the rest of the show. Because I think the rest of the show, Benten is very powerful and is very much in control of how she is presented and how she presents herself throughout that first season especially.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: And she never lets herself get in a situation where he could do that to her. She\u2019s always keeping him at arm\u2019s length.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: And the scenes we see with the two of them, he\u2019s affectionate but generally pretty respectful of her. He might hang on her arm to get into a car or something, but\u2026 I know there\u2019s a later scene where she\u2019s taking a nap at his house and he\u2019s just sitting next to her, being fine. So, yeah, that first episode to me is very strange, is very odd, and doesn\u2019t feel like it\u2019s indicative of what their actual relationship is. But again, we see it all through Yasaburo\u2019s eyes, so I think there\u2019s a lot of wiggle room and uncertainty there.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Love of my life. Every scene with her is great. I also really love the scene when they\u2019re walking after the Friday Fellows meeting and she looks at the moon and she\u2019s crying, and she says, \u201cWhen I see the moon, I just get really sad,\u201d and I was like, \u201cUgh, you\u2019re so emo right now and I\u2019m so in love with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: That reminds me of\u2026 I was so conf\u2014 When she asks Yasaburo to give her the moon, I was like, \u201cOkay, this is entirely a metaphor. There\u2019s no realism in this version of reality at all,\u201d but then in the next season Tenmaya actually does take down the moon, but then they\u2019re talking about how it\u2019s Yasaburo\u2019s moon and they need to put Yasaburo\u2019s moon back, and I\u2019m like, \u201cWhat is going on? I\u2019m so confused.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Tenmaya\u2019s an illusionist, is the sense I get, like he works in hallucinations. Whereas the tanuki can change themselves so you perceive them as something else, Tenmaya\u2019s magic is\u2026 it\u2019s hypnosis, right? He always does some kind of swinging thing and then something weird happens. So, I think what happens in that scene is he creates a hallucination where Yasaburo thinks that the moon is gone from the sky and is now sitting in Benten\u2019s hand. And I don\u2019t know if anything would ever have made that hallucination go away. [Chuckles] So\u2026<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: It\u2019s weird because Benten comments on it. She picks it up, and she\u2019s like, \u201cOh! I\u2019ve always wanted one of these.\u201d And I was like, \u201cOh! I do love her.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] She did.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: But was that part of the illusion?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, and that\u2019s\u2026 I mean\u2026 it\u2019s magic.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: At a certain point, I just have to shrug.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I know. We can\u2019t think too hard. We can\u2019t think too hard.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: But yeah, I think it\u2019s like a combination of\u2026 And maybe that is part of it, too, is we\u2019re not entirely supposed to know if it\u2019s a hallucination that Benten is able to interact with or if it actually happened and Tenmaya changed Yasaburo\u2019s reality. I don\u2019t know. But I did like that it came back around to Benten wanting the moon and being on that same rooftop. I thought that was a nice\u2026 There\u2019s some nice parallels between season 1 and 2 that I noticed this time through, and then that was definitely one of them.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I thought there was one line, when I went back and revisited episode 1, that\u2026 because watching the show initially, I had the same impression as you do that the tanuki can only transform themselves and Tenmaya transforms other things through illusions. But in episode 1, they get a ticket from their mom, and I think Yasaburo comments like, \u201cOh, this is probably just a leaf.\u201d And it\u2019s like, oh, right, because there\u2019s supposed to be a whole tanuki magical leaf thing going on. But I don\u2019t think they ever mention that again.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I don\u2019t think that comes up again. They should use those magic leaves more often, send notes to each other.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I actually don\u2019t know anything about tanuki leaves aside from Mario<\/em>. Can they transform leaves into, like, money?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: That, I\u2019m not sure. I mean, I know there\u2019s a lot of trickster stories about them tricking people into thinking they have one thing when they actually have something else. So, yeah, I mean, I know there\u2019s stories where their illusion powers can extend beyond just themselves. But I couldn\u2019t go into specifics because it\u2019s been a while since I\u2019ve read up on the different folklore tales and stuff.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Also, aren\u2019t tanukis in real life just so cute?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yes. Yes, they are.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I\u2019m just thinking about \u2018em. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I love tanuki.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Do they look different from the statues? Because the statues look ugly.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, real-life tanuki don\u2019t look quite like the statue versions of them.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh, okay.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: They\u2019re just like really fluffy raccoon.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, they\u2019re little Japanese trash pandas. They\u2019re wonderful.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: They\u2019re so funny. They\u2019re so cute.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: They don\u2019t look as cute as the design in the show, though.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] I want one!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Oh, no. Oh, no, the show made them look extra adorable.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I was cracking up at that one guy who, every time Benten came around, he would turn into a statue.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles] Because he was terrified of her. That was his way of hiding. \u201cNobody here! Just a statue.\u201d<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh, wait, I have a grand theory of this show.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Okay.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: So, they keep talking, mainly in the first season, about the four brothers inheriting the blood of Soichiro and inheriting different aspects of the blood and stuff. And there was a scene in the beginning of season 2, I think it was, where they\u2019re at the clinic that the (oh, I didn\u2019t write down his name) \u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Magister. Yeah.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: \u2026 the interim Nise-emon is at. And I think it\u2019s when they actually introduce Gyokuran, as well. And there\u2019s a sign in the background that\u2019s warning people about hemorrhoids\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yes! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: \u2026 and it\u2019s translated for some reason. But the word in Japanese for blood is \u201cchi,\u201d and then the word for hemorrhoids is \u201cji,\u201d which is just the same character with a little dakuten on top, so it was like \u201cOh, so, our hemorrhoids\u2026 it\u2019s the blood accumulated into our hemorrhoids.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles, baffled]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I hate you. I hate that you put this much thought into it, and now I have to hear you say those words.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I mean, when you think about it, the hemorrhoids are just the inherited blood from Soichiro, but\u2026<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Stop! We\u2019re over this! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: This took a turn. This took an unexpected turn.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Did we have Twitter questions, Jeff?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Wait, wait. Speaking of Japanese things, I did want to comment on\u2014<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Nobody but you is speaking of these\u2026!<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I found it especially jarring how Crunchyroll used different sets of translations for the different seasons. That was awkward.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I think I know why that happened. So, obviously, Crunchyroll did their translation of season 1 as the show was streaming, and so they went with Nise-emon for Trick Magister and some other stuff, and \u201cFriday Fellows\u201d and things like that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And then the show got a Blu-ray release, which had a different\u2026 (and this was very typical, and I think it might still be) \u2026 was done by a different company, so they did their own translation of it. (I own the Blu-ray, which is why I know this.) In the Blu-ray translation, they translated Nise-emon to Trick Magister, they called them the Friday Club instead of the Friday Fellows\u2026 There were some translation differences. And it looks like whoever picked up the translation for season 2 decided to use the terminology that was used in the Blu-ray release. So, I think that\u2019s where a lot of those differences come from.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But this was the first time I had watched both seasons immediately back-to-back on Crunchyroll, and I noticed that as well and I was like, man, I\u2019m really glad I watched the Blu-ray and I know that Nise-emon is the Trick Magister because that would have been really confusing otherwise!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I thought the first time around that it was a new election, and I was like, \u201cWe didn\u2019t decide the old one! What\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, it\u2019s especially weird because it seemed like season\u2026 I did not like how in season 1 they always translated Sensei as Professor, so they keep referring to Akadama as Professor Akadama, and I\u2019m like, \u201cHe\u2019s not a professor, though. He\u2019s a tengu.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah. He was their teacher, because I guess he\u2026 I\u2019m not really clear on what he taught them, but he taught them something. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Right, so Sensei makes sense, but Professor would be\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Yeah, but Professor doesn\u2019t really track, no. No, Yodagawa actually is a professor, but\u2026<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Right, right. That\u2019s why I was like, \u201cIs he actually a professor or are they referring to him as Sensei because he\u2019s a human?\u201d I was wondering if they refer to all humans as Sensei because they\u2019re higher than them, but then it seemed like it\u2019s because he\u2019s actually a professor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yeah, so it seemed like season 2 was more\u2026 I guess the NIS America translation in season 2 translated more, but then they don\u2019t translate Nidaime. Which I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, why is that?\u201d Because Nidaime is just\u2026 It\u2019s not even a fancy term in Japanese. It just means \u201cjunior,\u201d like the second generation, so it\u2019s like a very common noun. So, that was weird, but I guess it makes it clear that it\u2019s like a title.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I guess they wanted it to feel like he had a name, but I kind of feel like that misses the point that he doesn\u2019t <\/em>have a name. He actively rejects having a name, which\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to get too <\/em>into this, because I find the Nidaime and Benten and the push and pull between them as opposites\u2014where Benten has collected all of these names and titles and just uses them interchangeably whenever she wants (you know, she\u2019s Suzuki, she\u2019s Benten, she\u2019s a human, she\u2019s a tengu), whereas the Nidaime refuses to hang on to any labels and the two of them are both kind of isolated from the rest of the cast, I think because neither of them really has a community that they consider themselves belonging to\u2026 I find all of that really fascinating.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But I think that would have came across a little bit better in the translation if instead of going with \u201cthe Nidaime,\u201d they had called him \u201cthe Successor\u201d or \u201cthe Second\u201d or the second-generation or something like that, because I think that really makes it clear that he literally has no name.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I think Yasaburo even at one point is like, \u201cWhat would I call you if I didn\u2019t call you the Nidaime?\u201d and he doesn\u2019t say! So, I think his role as this negative presence is really interesting and I\u2019m curious to see how he\u2026 Meanwhile, his house is full of shit, right? He\u2019s collected all this stuff, but he himself has no fixed identity.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s really interesting! I\u2019m sorry. I don\u2019t want to go down a rabbit hole with the parallels and compare\/contrast between him and Benten. But I think it adds to their relationship, and that sense of namelessness, I think, is important to his character.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, them constantly both questioning\u2026 The Nidaime\u2019s like, \u201cOh, what is it to be a tengu? I\u2019m not a tengu,\u201d and then Benten\u2019s like, \u201cYeah, I\u2019m kind of a tengu but I\u2019m also a human, clearly,\u201d and I feel like this would be the thing that would bond them and would make them being endgame cool with me. It\u2019s like, \u201cSupport each other! You\u2019re both going through something!\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I think the idea of them finding a community with each other because neither of them feel like they quite fit into the current three groups of Kyoto\u2026 I think that would be a really good end for their arc. But I just don\u2019t know yet!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Someday!<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, I guess that\u2019s a good transition point to Twitter questions. First one came in from @WriterVrai, and they ask, \u201cAre you holding out hope for the third novel\/season? Is it harder to recommend a show that may be incomplete or inaccessible at the time the last part is made?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

I think we\u2019re all definitely holding out hope for it.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Oh, I am\u2014 So, I read this somewhere, and maybe somebody in the comments will correct me on this and I could be wrong, but I\u2019m pretty sure that the head of PA Works essentially pushed this through because he loves the novels so much. And then it helped that then Kyoto kind of ended up sponsoring the second season, so I think they have\u2026 Because it was not like a smash hit, right? I mean, this show was very much kind of a niche cult classic, I think, in Japan and abroad.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But I think it has enough studio support and enough production staff support that it will get a third season if and when the third novel comes out. The problem right now is Morimi hasn\u2019t written a third novel.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: So, I am holding out hope for him to write the dang thing, and I feel very confident that it will get turned into an anime season shortly after it\u2019s written.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, I heard\u2026 I heard this secondhand, that there was an interview where I think the president of PA Works mentioned that \u201cIf there\u2019s a third book, we\u2019re gonna do the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah. He loves this series, and this is very much kind of a pet project for them, I think. You can kind of feel it, right? There\u2019s just love in every aspect of this production. It really does feel like a labor of love, just this thing they just really, really wanted to see animated. So, I feel good about the third season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know about you guys: do you think it\u2019s harder to recommend it with it being incomplete at this point?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: No! Because I still made Jeff watch it. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: This is true.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I still\u2026 I really enjoy it. Even though there\u2019s no concrete ending, Yasaburo\u2019s family, the Shimogamo family\u2026 their stories kind of [have] a nice tie at the end of it. It\u2019s open-ended, but it could be done. And it\u2019s sad for Benten, but I still would recommend people watch it because it\u2019s just a good time\u2014or a sad time. But I had a fun time the whole time, and I still try to get people to watch it, and if they don\u2019t like it then we\u2019re not friends anymore, but if they do like it, we\u2019re good!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Oh no.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, so, Jeff? Your days are numbered.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, I can see people concerned, like, \u201cOh, man, it\u2019s been three years since season 2,\u201d and it\u2019s like, \u201cOh, no, is it too long?\u201d But the time the novels came out\u2026 So, the first book came out in 2007, and the second one came out in 2015, so there was eight years between them.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Dang.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: So, if there\u2019s now eight years since last one, there\u2019s still another three years before the novel comes out. The thing that worries me a little bit is that apparently the second novel came out the same year as the first anime season. So, it seems like the anime season was kind of conceived as like, \u201cOkay, the novel isn\u2019t out yet, but it\u2019s gonna be out soon,\u201d I\u2019m guessing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But I think, like we said, it seems like PA Works is interested enough that they\u2019re gonna do it if it comes out. So, yeah, it does feel like it\u2019s not finished, but I don\u2019t feel like this is an incomplete work, then. There\u2019s still so much to digest that it\u2019s not like, \u201coh, you got an incomplete experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah. I had no qualms recommending this to people after the first season because I think the first season feels more like a complete story. Now that we have a second season, I still recommend the show loudly because I love it very, very much, but I do always feel like I have to add a little asterisk of \u201cSeason 2 is kind of a bridge into whatever a season 3 will eventually be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s a little bit tougher for me to recommend it with season 2 out because it does feel more like it\u2019s not complete now than I think it did after season 1. But I love it too much not to recommend it, so I just have to put that little asterisk on it, which is fine. There\u2019s asterisks on a lot of my recommendations, so it\u2019s all good.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, I think I view it as like the second season\u2026 I don\u2019t think it\u2019s as good as the first season. But maybe once the third season is out, maybe the second season, I would understand it and it would be more important in retrospect.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I\u2019m in a similar place, for sure.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: So, I think there\u2019s lots of examples where the second season isn\u2019t as good but that\u2019s not gonna make you recommend it less, you know?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah. Well, I think if they watch the first season, they\u2019ll be attached enough to the characters that the second season is still like \u201cYay, they\u2019re here!\u201d Just watch the first season and then follow your heart, you know? Because it ends at a good spot to be like, okay, you don\u2019t have to watch the second season if you don\u2019t want to.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, if you wanted to wait on it, you could, I think. But definitely watch season 1.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I did not like Yasaburo touching Benten\u2019s hair, though. That was a bad way to end the season.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: At least it\u2019s just her hair.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: He was trying to comfort her. She appreciated it! She was like, \u201cPity me more,\u201d basically. She wanted somebody there for her. And he knew he wasn\u2019t the right person, but I think him being there and somebody being there to comfort her\u2026 I didn\u2019t take that as a breach of Benten\u2019s space. She seemed to appreciate him being there in that moment.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, I just feel so sad because he\u2019s the only person who\u2019s not afraid to get close to her and do that besides the gross old man, Akadama.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Ugh, but he would do it gross. Yasaburo was just like, \u201cHi. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: But again, in that second season, we have that scene after Benten\u2019s fall where Akadama\u2019s actually really good. He\u2019s respectful of her space, and in the ending theme we see that he helps her get home but he\u2019s not a creep about it. So, again, those opening scenes with him are just so\u2026 they don\u2019t match what we see of the two of them together later in such a weird way. It\u2019s very jarring. But yeah, so\u2026<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I just realized we never talked about my favorite characters.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Whomst?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Well, isn\u2019t it clear because I said \u201ccharacters\u201d?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I assume you meant the idiot brothers.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I hate you.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Kinkaku and Ginkaku. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: They\u2019re so good! I love \u2018em!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: They\u2019re very good (what\u2019s the word I\u2019m looking for?), like, minion antagonists. Right?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah. I think I love how there are moments where the animation goes ham when animating them being obnoxious and terrible. I can\u2019t remember when this actually happens, but there\u2019s a moment where they\u2019re rubbing into each other and leaning towards the camera, and it\u2019s like, ah, I love them. And that whole\u2026 Every time in the first season, they keep getting bitten by Yaichiro in the crotch, so they start wearing metal underwear.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles] Yes!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [unintelligible due to crosstalk] \u201cNow you can\u2019t bite our butts!\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Aha! \u201cWe\u2019re very cold, but you can\u2019t bite our butts!\u201d<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: They were funny. I hated them so much in such a fun way, like when they were all going to the shrine and it was like, \u201cHow do you prove you\u2019re from the Shimogamo family?\u201d And they\u2019re like, \u201cWell, I don\u2019t know how we prove that.\u201d And then Kingaku and Ginkaku walk through, and they\u2019re like, \u201cHow come they don\u2019t need to prove it?\u201d And they\u2019re like, \u201c\u2018Cause we\u2019re great!\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: And I was like, \u201cShut up! I hate you,\u201d but in a fun way.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: They\u2019re very enjoyably unlikable.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Mm-hm.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: They don\u2019t really get much time to shine in season 2 at all. That was kinda sad.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: No, they\u2019re not the main antagonists anymore.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: No. Well, one scene I did like in season 2 is\u2026 they separate for a little bit at the tail end of the season when the final plot is happening, and Ginkaku has a moment where he talks with\u2026 the mom, Tousen, and Yashiro are trapped in a cage, and they\u2019re like, \u201cAre you really okay with this?\u201d and he\u2019s like, \u201cWell, I mean, my brother said we should do it, so, yeah, but I\u2019m gonna go talk to Kaisei see what she thinks.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m like, \u201cMm, Ginkaku, you might be having a change of heart here, huh, buddy? You\u2019re starting to realize that your family is terrible?\u201d So, I feel like they will eventually be the idiot minions who are kind of redeemed but also still extremely obnoxious.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, I like in that scene when he goes to Kaisei\u2019s room and then she\u2019s not there and then he comes back to them for help, basically. He\u2019s like, \u201cWhat do I do? She\u2019s not there!\u201d And it\u2019s like, you took them<\/em> prisoner. Like\u2026 [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: He has no idea what to do without Kinkaku around.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: It was cute. It was endearing. And I was like, \u201cMaybe I don\u2019t hate you,\u201d you know?<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Exactly.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Do we have another question?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah. Second question, from @TehLazyArtist. \u201cHow did prior knowledge, or lack thereof, of Japanese folklore affect your enjoyment of the show?\u201d<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Well, I didn\u2019t know anything, basically. I knew that tanukis were a thing. Didn\u2019t know what tengu were. [unintelligible due to crosstalk] fun guide.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Wait, I\u2019m confused because in Mario<\/em> tanuki fly.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Jeff, is that your experience with Japanese folklore before this show?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: It kind of\u2026 In terms of tanuki and tengu, it kind of was.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I didn\u2019t put that together. I just always thought he was a little raccoon.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I believe there is a tanuki Mario and a raccoon Mario. I mean, this has almost nothing to do with our conversation. So, yeah, I think raccoon Mario is the flying one and tanuki Mario is the one that turns into a stone. Because there\u2019s the one that\u2019s a full suit, and then there\u2019s the one that\u2019s just ears and a tail.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: This is deep Mario<\/em> lore.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Wait, so I think he can fly\u2026 This Kotaku thing says that Mario is able to fly with both raccoon and tanuki suit, but in the raccoon one, he spins; in the tanuki suit, he turns into a statue.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Okay, I did know about the statue thing.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Tanuki can\u2019t fly. But I also never knew that there was a difference! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: So, yeah, I don\u2019t know if\u2026 Does the connection between flying exist in any tanuki lore outside of Mario<\/em>?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I don\u2019t know, but I did in this Google search come across an article that says, \u201cPETA attacks Nintendo over fur-wearing Mario.\u201d So, you learn something new every day!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I mean, on the Wikipedia page for tanuki, if you search for \u201cfly,\u201d it only shows up in the Mario<\/em> section, so\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, no, I\u2019m not aware of any legends about tanuki flying. I think that is a Mario<\/em> thing.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, okay.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Dee, did you know a lot of stuff?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I mean, at the time I watched the show\u2026 Yeah, I mean, I majored in East Asian studies in college and\u2026<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Oh, dang! Okay.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: But the thing is, a lot of the stuff we did was more classic literature, so we did a few short segments on folklore, but honestly, most of what I knew about Japanese folklore I learned from anime and manga, because that just wasn\u2019t necessarily the focus of the program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, I\u2019m aware of some of the folkloric tropes\u2014a lot of them after the fact. I think Eccentric Family<\/em> in some ways sparked my interest in getting to know more about tengu and tanuki, because I was familiar with them, but I knew a lot more about the kitsune fox legends. I just had a very basic grasp on how tanuki and tengu worked in folklore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, since the first season came out, I then read more stories and read up more summary-type information about the different critters, and then, rewatching Eccentric Family<\/em> after that, gained a deeper appreciation for some of the little nods and touches within the show itself.<\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s really hard for me to say how it impacted it. I think, on the one hand, it made it easier for me to sink into it, and then on the other hand, it also made me want to learn more about the subject! So, positively overall, I guess, is how it impacted my enjoyment of the show.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, I think my experience was basically only enough to find things that look vaguely familiar. I was like, \u201cOh, tengu, those look familiar,\u201d and tanuki\u2026 I think I was confused because I thought tanuki were only fictional and not a real thing, too, but\u2026<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I do feel like part of the show is hard to get into if you don\u2019t know the folklore, but I do think it is also\u2026 like Dee was saying, it makes you want to research it, and then you can come to it with an even greater appreciation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But it did kind of remind me of Okami<\/em>, which is a game that I feel like is all about Japanese folklore and I feel like does not really require any knowledge to understand and appreciate. I feel like it teaches you everything you need to know in the context of the game, and this does feel like it doesn\u2019t really teach you every\u2026 So, I think you could come off being kind of confused about things if you don\u2019t want to research outside of it.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I think a lot of it you just pick up as you go, right? Like, \u201cOh, these tanuki are transforming. That\u2019s a thing tanuki can do, I guess.\u201d To me, one of the biggest things learning that was helpful was that tengu have a tendency to just kidnap people and teach them magic.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Mm-hm. I had to learn that from this. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah. So, that made the Akadama story vibe a little bit better with the folklore that it is playing with and where Benten\u2019s story comes from. But I think a lot of it, especially if you\u2019re willing to just walk into it going, \u201cThis is a fantasy world and it\u2019s going to operate by different rules,\u201d I think a lot of it you can kind of pick up as you go along.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, because I didn\u2019t know much and I still really enjoyed it just by being like, \u201cYou know what? Fantasy world. Let\u2019s go!\u201d But it did turn me kind of into a tool for a little bit after I watched the first season because people would be like, \u201cOh, tanuki?\u201d and I would be like, \u201cOh, you don\u2019t know about tanuki\u2019s ability to transform? You fool!\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Laughs] \u201cLet me tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: \u201cLet me tell you all about this. Would you like to learn about tengu, as well? Because I\u2019m quite the expert!\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: What was that, like 2012, 2013? Ugh.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I still hate the Friday Fellows.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I hate all of them too, actually. Because didn\u2019t they mention one of them\u2019s like a loan shark and they\u2019re all just kind of rich?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah. They\u2019re the old rich guys of Kyoto who have just been doing the same thing every year. I don\u2019t think we\u2019re supposed to like them!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I hate all of them.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I would appreciate it as an organization if they framed it as like \u201cThis is the secret underworld that controls all of Kyoto or something.\u201d But I guess I didn\u2019t get the impression\u2026 Maybe I just missed a couple lines. I didn\u2019t get the impression that they were that powerful or that influential. It just seemed like it was just a random group of seven people that happen to do this thing that influence tanuki lives a lot, and so I was like, \u201cWhy\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Well, I feel like they\u2019re more influential than we get to see; it\u2019s just not apparent to our story. Because someone was pretty high up at a bank or something, one guy has a lot of money, and another guy\u2019s in charge of a huge business, and they all kind of influence things around the area, but it\u2019s not relevant to us besides them literally eating their father!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Okay.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: That was my impression.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I also really did not like that Yasaburo condemns Soun for joining and then also joins himself, and it\u2019s like, mm, this seems a little hypocritical, but\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: So, upon this rewatch, I realized that Yasaburo\u2019s story is very much a trickster story, and that scene with the Friday Fellows\u2026 My read on it is he knows that Yodagawa is in deep, deep water, and he thinks that the best way that he can rescue him is by disavowing him and basically being like \u201cYeah\u2026\u201d Distracting from it, right?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yodagawa\u2019s been captured and they\u2019re pointing a gun at him, and it\u2019s scary. And so, Yasaburo\u2019s like, \u201cWell, I will distract them by pretending like I\u2019ve turned on him and I want to be a member of the Friday Fellows.\u201d Because he\u2019s a member of the Friday Fellows for, what, five minutes, basically? Never goes to a meeting, immediately runs from them and gets excommunicated. He doesn\u2019t actually want to be a member. That scene is very much happening in response to what\u2019s going on with Yodagawa.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, I don\u2019t see it as hypocritical because I don\u2019t think there was any moment when Yasaburo was like, \u201cI\u2019m totally going to eat tanuki hot pot.\u201d Soun was. Soun didn\u2019t give a crap. [Chuckles] So, that was my read on that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A lot of season 2 is Yasaburo trying to play a game with all the other characters and use their own pride or sense of power against them. And sometimes it works, and sometimes it backfires horribly and he has to flee from angry human tengu.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I guess the thing that to me feels\u2026 I think that that read is totally correct and fair, but I think anime has taught me that if someone is playing that kind of trickster role, they should be, at the end, sticking their tongue out and being like, \u201cOh, I got you!\u201d or something, and instead he is just chill about everything and just running away is\u2026 He\u2019s going with the flow so much that I get confused. You know?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Mm-hm. Well, and like I said, I think on this watch Yasaburo kind of lowkey became my favorite character, which had not been the case before because I also had kind of a hard read on him. Keep in mind I\u2019ve now seen season 1 five times and season 2 three times, something like that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, there are little subtle nods in the way he interacts and moves or the flash of expression on his face that have led me to get the feeling of him just constantly screwing with people. And I think a lot of it comes out in, like, you\u2019ll see him acting one way in one scene but then in another scene\u2014where those characters maybe aren\u2019t around, he\u2019s acting in a very different way.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And so, you are able to pick up a little bit better how he\u2019s trying to move the pieces of Kyoto around. And, I think, in season 2 really gets in over his head\u2014thinks that he can create this conflict between Benten and the Nidaime, and then it really blows up in his face, and he dang near ends up in a hot pot.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I just thought it was so pretentious of those Friday Fellows to name themselves after gods, you know?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Right? It is. They\u2019re a very pretentious group.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: But you appreciate Benten\u2019s name? That\u2019s also one of them.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Yeah, but that makes sense.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: She is a god.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: She\u2019s actually powerful, you know? These other guys are like, \u201cAh, yes, I\u2019m a professor or a teacher.\u201d Shut up.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: She can fly, so\u2026<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: She can literally fly and she\u2019s been to Hell. Like, what\u2026?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: She wrestled ogres! So, she can call herself whatever she wants.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: The god that\u2026 What\u2019s the professor\u2019s name? Yodagawa? The god that he is named after, Hotei, is apparently the image that we call the smiling or laughing or fat Buddha, is that god and is not actually Buddha, apparently.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Oh.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, they\u2019re all named after the Seven Lucky Gods, and I did not refresh myself on that particular mythology before coming onto this call, so I can\u2019t talk too much about that. I have been so neck-deep in premieres. I had this plan before and I was like, \u201cI\u2019m going to rewatch the whole thing, and I\u2019m going to read all these production notes, and I\u2019m going to read up a bunch of stuff about the mythology so I\u2019m ready to go,\u201d and then I just got completely buried in premieres.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, a lot of this I\u2019m just operating off of memory on\u2026 I did refresh on some of the tanuki\u2013tengu stuff, but yeah, I can\u2019t help you with the Seven Lucky Gods too much other than knowing that they exist and show up in Noragami<\/em> a lot\u2014which is also very, very good.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I think the only thing I knew is that Benten is the only girl in the Seven Lucky Gods, and Benten\u2019s the only girl in this group, and I was like, \u201cWhoo! She\u2019s powerful!\u201d That\u2019s all I had!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Wait, isn\u2019t Benten Bishamon? Oh, no, Bishamon in Noragami<\/em> is not normally\u2026 you know?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: No, yeah.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Noragami<\/em> does what it wants in terms of gender\u2026<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: It does not care.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: \u2026 gendering of characters, which is A-okay.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I have my own problems with Bishamon in Noragami<\/em>, but that\u2019s for a different day.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I acknowledge your problems but I also love her.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, she\u2019s incredible.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] I can totally see why you could feel that way, but also, I love her. Yeah. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: When she\u2019s in a full suit with her trench coat, I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay, hello, what\u2019s up? Let\u2019s do this!\u201d And then when she\u2019s in something else, I\u2019m like, \u201cAll right.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Her battle bikini? Yeah, it\u2019s not great, not great costuming.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I\u2019m like, \u201cThat doesn\u2019t protect you one bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: When good anime characters have bad costuming choices.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yes, because I love Noragami<\/em>. That, I think, is my main complaint.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: That\u2019s fair.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I think that\u2019s it! That\u2019s the one.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: The only\u2026 The single complaint.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: One last question I have. So, all the male tanuki are named a family first character and then a number and then -ro, like Ya-ichi-ro, Ya-ji-ro. It\u2019s like, one, two, second, third, and so on.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Well, the -ro, I believe\u2026 I would have to look this up again. I\u2019m pretty sure that the -ro basically means child or son, so it\u2019s basically like first son, second son, third son.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: But so, the thing that I was questioning when they go to visit Tousen\u2019s mom, the grandma, and there\u2019s the forest with tons of them around\u2026 Oh, because I guess they introduced one of her\u2026 Like, her older brother is Toichiro. And I was like, wait, if he\u2019s Toichiro and she\u2019s Tousen\u2026 \u201cSen\u201d means \u201cthousand.\u201d And I was like, \u201cShe\u2019s the thousandth child?\u201d But it\u2019s written with a different kanji, so it\u2019s not exactly that, but I did for a second wonder if\u2026 They talked about, like, the mom doesn\u2019t quite remember her, but maybe that\u2019s because she\u2019s old\u2026 And yeah, I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I\u2019ve actually never looked at the kanji for the mom\u2019s name, so I didn\u2019t know what it was derived from, there. That would be amazing if she had that many children, though.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Well, did you think\u2026 in that crowd of tanuki there, did you think those were all children?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I mean, I assumed it was like kids and grandkids, and she\u2019s clearly the matron leader of the Tanukidani Shrine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Which, I\u2019ve been to that shrine. It\u2019s really cool.<\/p>\n

[Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Brag!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [crosstalk] So is it named like that? In real life, it\u2019s like Tanuki Valley?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah. It is absolutely jam-packed with tanuki statues. It\u2019s known for a ton of tanuki statues and a very, very long set of steps. It\u2019s way out on the outskirts of Kyoto and getting to it is a hike! But by God we did it because I wanted to see the tanuki shrine!<\/p>\n

[Laughter]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: It was totally worth it. I mean, it\u2019s a small shrine; they don\u2019t get a ton of\u2026 It\u2019s not like Inari; they don\u2019t get a ton of visitors and stuff. But it was really, really neat to go see it.<\/p>\n

But yeah, so, I get the sense that Tousen\u2019s mom is sort of the leader of that shrine in the same way that the Shimogamo family Tousen married into\u2026 Soichiro was kind of the leader of that shrine. So, yeah, I assumed those were kids, grandkids, spouses of kids.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They were kind of treating her like a god in one of the scenes we see, which I think is just veneration of the elderly, kind of thing. I really like the scenes with her. I like knowing that there are women\u2014there are tanuki ladies in power.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Yeah, that\u2019s something that I was worried\u2026 I was like, why is everything so patriarchal? So, at least there\u2019s one matriarchy out there.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I get the sense it\u2019s a little bit of old-fashioned sphere-of-influence type thing where the government is primarily led by\u2026 I say \u201cmen,\u201d but you know what I mean, male tanuki, but then, the shrines themselves have these matriarchal figures kind of look over them. So, hopefully it implies that there\u2019s at least a kind of balance there even if there is a gender split.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I did love those scenes. She was so cute and was so fluffy. I wanted to hold her.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I love the advice she offers, too. I like that\u2026 You can clearly tell that she\u2019s so old her memory\u2019s not great, but she still has these really nice moments of wisdom for Yasaburo that are\u2026 it\u2019s common-sense type stuff, but I just find those scenes really soothing to watch. And her point about\u2026 I forget exactly what she tells him, but basically like, \u201cDon\u2019t forget to cause a little trouble now and again, because you\u2019re a tanuki.\u201d<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: It was so cute.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, it was really sweet. And then she gives her blessing for him and Kaisei and is like, \u201cI knew you two were together. I knew it!\u201d<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: When she first appeared and is on that pillow (which, first off, is a really elaborate pillow\u2026 anyway\u2026), I was like, \u201cOkay, so she\u2019s so old she can\u2019t move.\u201d And then later when she\u2019s just bouncing around the forest, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh no! I guess she\u2019s okay. Okay. I guess it\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: She gets lost because she can\u2019t see so well or remember things but, no, she\u2019s apparently still pretty spry for an ancient tanuki.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: You can\u2019t take her down.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: That\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: As much as I want some good food for my hot pot.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: No, you can\u2019t\u2014<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: No!<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: We\u2019ve already established tanuki don\u2019t even taste good.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, get outta here. Oh, that was so\u2026 I was so sad. I cried a lot when they did the flashback to the scene where Soichiro\u2019s talking about like, \u201cOh, I hope I don\u2019t taste bad. I\u2019d hate to ruin a hot pot.\u201d And he\u2019s like, \u201cEh, I lived a good life, caused a lot of trouble.\u201d I was crying and I was like, \u201cThat\u2019s such a nice\u2026 I\u2019m sad that you\u2019re dying, but it\u2019s a good way of looking at it, I guess!\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, there\u2019s very much this sense in the tanuki world\u2026 You start to get the feeling that if you\u2019re not dancing on the edge of a hot pot then you\u2019re not really living. [Chuckles] So he seems\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the other thing I really like is, in season 2, Yasaburo has kind of a dream-ghost moment with his dad where he kind of says, \u201cYou left us all alone. That was really not okay.\u201d And you get that sense that Yasaburo has some complicated feelings about\u2026 his dad had no regrets, but he did leave a family behind, and that kind of hurts as one of his kids.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yeah, I think the show\u2026 There\u2019s a lot to tease out and talk about, and I think there\u2019s a lot of nuance in the way the characters interact and how they feel about each other. And the relationships are not simple. And I appreciate that about it, and so I think it\u2019s why I like rewatching it and why every time I watch it I get something a little bit different out of it.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, but it\u2019s like they are so relatably human while not being human and doing weird tanuki stuff.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah. I mean, they have a moral code and a concept of societal norms that is in many ways inherently different from human society, but I feel like the show sinks so thoroughly into that world that they feel better-realized and more developed and complex than most human characters in most anime do! So, yeah, I appreciate that combination of unreality with that human element of family and community and that kind of stuff.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I still feel like the way they interact with the threat of being turned into a hot pot is a little frustratingly unrelatable.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Oh, it\u2019s very strange! I agree.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [flippant] \u201cWe could be hot pot. Who knows?\u201d<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [Chuckles] But when Soichiro is facing his own mortality, I really was moved by those scenes where he\u2019s come to terms with it.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah. Those scenes are good!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I feel conflicted about whether the show is endorsing that message or condemning it, because it feels like in that moment it\u2019s done so well and there\u2019s so much weight behind it that it feels like it is endorsing that view.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But then later, in the actual climax of the season, none of the characters are facing their mortality with that level of acceptance. And they shouldn\u2019t, because they get out of it, and if they had accepted it, that would have been a bad thing to do. So I\u2019m kind of like\u2026 But I guess, like you\u2019re saying, it\u2019s messy and it\u2019s complicated and everyone has different feelings.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: He was also a lot older, I thought.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I think a lot of The Eccentric Family<\/em> is not necessarily taking\u2014 It\u2019s not didactic, right? It\u2019s not saying, \u201cThis is how you should feel about this.\u201d It\u2019s showing you a bunch of different characters and their perspectives and letting us basically have the conversation we\u2019re having right now, right? Like, \u201cwell, what do you think about this?\u201d And I appreciate that.<\/p>\n

I also think there\u2019s kind of an element, maybe, of the next generation doing things a little differently, right? We\u2019re now kind of shifting into the kids and \u201chow are they going to approach this world and this society and what kind of changes are they going to make along the way?\u201d Because the Shimogamo family are eccentric tanuki. Their dad was the ideal tanuki and they\u2019re all supposed to be failures, but they\u2019re making their own way and finding their own place in tanuki society, regardless.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, I think maybe there is also that element of \u201cIn the past we just accepted that we would get thrown into a hot pot, but maybe the next generation isn\u2019t going to accept that anymore.\u201d So, I think you\u2019re right to see those conflicts in the story, Jeff. I think my argument would be that they are there intentionally. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re an accident.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: That\u2019s fair.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, because he was so dignified, is what they were saying. It\u2019s like, oh, he looks so dignified and stoic and just went with it. And one of the things Yasaburo\u2019s struggling with\u2026 he\u2019s like, \u201cI\u2019m not like my dad at all, other than being dumb\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: \u201c\u2026 and causing trouble and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] That trickster impulse, yeah.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah. So, I feel like it worked out, showing, \u201cWe\u2019re not our father. We\u2019re not going to accept this. That might be seen as a failure but, I mean, we\u2019re alive, so, sorry to our dad.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: One of my favorite moments is in season 2 when Yaichiro, towards the very end, when he finds out Yasaburo\u2019s in a hot pot and he looks across the crowd of tanuki and realizes none of the elders are going to do jack.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And he turns into a tiger and basically says what Yasaburo\u2019s kind of been saying from episode 1. He\u2019s like, \u201cTo hell with your traditions and this Trick Magister thing. I\u2019m Yaichiro and I\u2019m gonna go save my brother.\u201d And then Gyokuran goes with him. And he\u2019s like, \u201cSorry, I know that this is very foolish,\u201d and she\u2019s like, \u201cNo, no, no, I\u2019m into it.\u201d [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yes! Hey, they\u2019re tanuki!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: \u201cThis is one of the reasons we\u2019re together, is because I agree with you on this one.\u201d And I really liked that moment of, again, the next generation going, \u201cNo, no, no. We\u2019re going to do things differently. We\u2019re not just going to leave our family members to die just because we\u2019re tanuki and hot pots are what happen to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: It felt like such a good\u2014 I mean, I wasn\u2019t aware of a lot of the traditions beforehand, but it felt like a good discussion on the value of traditions and when it is and not appropriate to get rid of them or bend the rules.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I agree. Which is also why I love Yodagawa\u2019s total about-face, like, \u201cWait, no, I changed my mind! We will not<\/em> eat tanuki anymore. This is a stupid tradition. Just drop it, guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Ugh, what a good show.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I would, again, hope that a third book would kind of keep going in that direction with the story. But I guess we\u2019ll just see!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Well, now it comes to the part of the show where we have to decide which of us to be boiled into hot pot. So\u2026<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Jeff, it\u2019s you.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I\u2019m so sorry. I have no hesitation.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I mean, you are the only one who didn\u2019t absolutely adore this show, so\u2026<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Well, I guess I have no regrets.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles] No, we\u2019ll defy tradition and none of us will be boiled into hot pots. We\u2019ll turn into tigers and rescue each other.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: A revolution.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: That\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Well, I loved it. I\u2019ll continue to love it for the rest of my life. It\u2019s in my top three, I\u2019m pretty sure. Jeff, where is it on your top three? One, two, or three?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I\u2019m afraid I\u2019m about to get boiled if I don\u2019t say the right answer!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: So, I have a question about your guys\u2019 \u201cWeeb It\u201d category because I listened to some episodes and I\u2019m a little unclear about this.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Aw!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Is it basically saying\u2026? Because to me, The Eccentric Family<\/em> is not\u2026 When I think of the concept of weebs and what a \u201cWeeb It\u201d would be, it would be like, I don\u2019t know, boilerplate isekai.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yes.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Like, \u201cOh, well, only people who are super into, I don\u2019t know, stereotypical anime tropes would be into this show.\u201d That was the sense I got from that category.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And I cannot imagine throwing The Eccentric Family<\/em> at somebody who\u2019s like, \u201cWell, I just want to watch shows like Naruto<\/em>.\u201d And that is not a knock against people who like your standard shounen anime. That\u2019s fine. Like what you like. It\u2019s all good. But Eccentric Family<\/em>\u2019s not in that category.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, what does \u201cweeb it\u201d mean? And you can cut this part out of the episode, but I was unclear as to what that label meant, other than being a really good pun on \u201cLove it or leave it.\u201d<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Thank you! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: It\u2019s good content because I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve ever made it clear.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I feel like \u201cLove It\u201d is like \u201cDoesn\u2019t matter who you are; if you\u2019re a weeb or not, you should watch this show.\u201d And it\u2019s good. That\u2019s loving it. And then weebing it is the other category by default. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: So, anything else.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, or sometimes there are things that are not necessarily just that gross isekai but are very niche things that people might like because they simp for Japan or something, and I\u2019d be like, \u201cYou can have that show, but no one else should watch it except for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [Chuckles] I think of it as like\u2026 When I say everyone should go watch it, then it\u2019s love. And if it\u2019s not that, if it falls short at all, then it\u2019s \u201cweeb it\u201d, but I know that\u2019s a false dichotomy. It doesn\u2019t actually exist. There\u2019s no show that I actually think is for literally everyone.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, that was what I was gonna say. I feel like all of my recommendations come with \u201cWell, if you like this or that.\u201d Like, I think Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju<\/em> is one of the greatest anime ever made.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [Gasps] Yeah!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: But if you\u2019re not into historical dramas, I\u2019d be hesitant to recommend it to you. Also, I probably wouldn\u2019t give it to a 15-year-old because they\u2019d probably find it boring. And that\u2019s okay! I would have found it boring at 15, too! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Oh my God. That\u2019s my top show!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, same. Well, it\u2019s Utena<\/em>, but\u2026<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Wow, look at us.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Sorry. Okay, Revolutionary Girl Utena<\/em> is my top show, and I will throw that at almost anybody. But Rakugo<\/em>\u2019s like number two.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: So here\u2019s how I reconcile that. I think it\u2019s like if it\u2019s recommended to everyone except blank or blank, then it\u2019s Love It. If it\u2019s recommended to\u2026 Do I say \u201ceveryone\u201d minus a couple things? Then it\u2019s Love It. If I say, \u201cIf you like \u2018blank,\u2019\u201d then it\u2019s Weeb It. Does that make sense? It\u2019s like do you start with the glass full and then take away a little bit, or do you start with the glass empty and add a little bit?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Hm, okay.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, I think\u2026 What was the one that was really weird? Dorohedoro<\/em>?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Mm-hm, mm-hm.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I think I ended up saying I loved it or I would \u201clove it,\u201d but I also said it\u2019s not for me.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Because I don\u2019t like gore. But I think enough people who\u2026 Like, if you\u2019re into kinda fun stuff, I wouldn\u2019t say you have to be into anime to watch Dorohedoro<\/em>, I think is the thing.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Okay.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Like you don\u2019t have to like anime.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Did we end up the complete opposite for that?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, I don\u2019t think you loved it.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Well, I think I didn\u2019t \u201clove it\u201d because I was saying I<\/em> personally really like it but I think you have to have a particular affinity for this kind of thing to appreciate it.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, I think Weeb It\u2019s more like you have to like anime to like this! Like, what was one when\u2026? I mean, I weebed it anyways, but Rent-A-Girlfriend<\/em>.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [Huffs, amused]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: We hated that one!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Oh, I listened to that one. That was really good.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: We hated it!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: No, I believe you gave it a new category, which was \u201cBurn It with Fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

[Laughter]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Oh my God, we hated it so bad! Ugh, what a nightmare. Well, there\u2019s another one that I weebed, Jeff, that I hated that you made me watch? What was that, Bofuri<\/em>?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Bofuri<\/em>\u2019s good! It\u2019s pure and innocent.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Aw, Bofuri<\/em>\u2019s nice!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: No one who doesn\u2019t watch anime would watch that and enjoy it.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Hm.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I think if you\u2019re into MMOs\u2026 I don\u2019t think there was anything in that one that I would consider to be like high-level anime bullshit. I mean, it was a chill-out show about girls fighting monsters.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I know. I sent Jeff so many screenshots of booty shots that I was mad about. And I was like, \u201cHow dare you make me watch this?\u201d I was so mad. I thought it was gonna be cute lesbians maybe. But no! My dreams were dashed.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Well, thank you for giving us a chance to explain.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, sure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m gonna give it a Love It because I do love it, and it\u2019s one of those where I think I would encourage everybody to try it. You know, if you get three, four episodes in and it\u2019s just not clicking for you, then\u2026 I mean, that\u2019s going to happen with anything. Right?\u00a0<\/p>\n

But I think it does a lot of things that are different from\u2026 I think it\u2019s off the beaten path as far as what people think of when they think of anime. I think it\u2019s engaging much more in folklore, and like I said, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s didactic. I think it asks you to engage with the material and have arguments with it, like you were, Jeff, while you were watching it. And I had similar arguments while I was watching it, as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, I would give it a Love It rating. I think it\u2019s a sophisticated show that is absolutely beautiful. And, again, it\u2019s not going to be for everybody because nothing is for everybody, but I think it\u2019s well worth trying.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yes, fully agree.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Okay, I think I\u2019ve come around, and 50% is because if I don\u2019t give into the bullying, then I\u2019ll be boiled. But 50% of it\u2014<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: No! Jeff, listen, live your truth. I mean, I will be\u2014<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, say your wrong opinion, Jeff.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I will be sad because I do love this show and so I want other people to enjoy it, but if you genuinely didn\u2019t care for it, that\u2019s fair.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: No, see, I do\u2026 Like I was saying, I think I would recommend this to everyone with only a small caveat, that if you have absolutely no interest in Japanese folklore, then you probably won\u2019t enjoy it. And if you\u2019re just grabbing people who are just into shounen anime that don\u2019t want to learn anything and if you just want to turn your brain off completely, I think this will be a very\u2026 Yeah, if you want to turn your brain off or you want to not be paying attention half the time, this will be a very confusing and frustrating show.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Oh, yeah!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: But if you\u2019re willing to give it a chance and to actually focus on it and give it attention, then I think I can recommend it wholeheartedly, and especially because I think some of my things that have colored my interpretation so much were me being confused about things, and now having them clarified makes me a lot more positive.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yay! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: We got him!<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Okay, so it\u2019s the best show ever made\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I\u2019m glad this conversation helped you come around on it. No, that genuinely makes me really happy. It reminds me of when I\u2019ve done write-ups on shows week to week and people being like, \u201cOh, wow! That was a good point.\u201d And, you know, I\u2019m glad I could help you appreciate the wonders of Eccentric Family<\/em>, Jeff. I\u2019m glad Annie and I could both do that for you. Now you should rewatch it and you\u2019ll like it even more!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Right, I think I\u2019m definitely\u2026 especially that taste I got of episode 1 where I hated episode 1 on first watch and on second watch I was like, \u201cOh, I can appreciate the artistry, the music\u2026\u201d Because a lot of the music, I really did not dig the first time around, but second time around, I could appreciate just living in the scene. And I think that would be a really fun experience. Especially a couple years out where I\u2019m hazy on some details but I remember the loose structure, I think it\u2019ll be really fun.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Oh, yeah. Yeah, it definitely rewards a rewatch. For sure, for sure.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: So, yeah, you probably should have already watched it at this point, but it\u2019s available subbed and dubbed on Crunchyroll and VRV. And hopefully season 2 gets a physical release at some point, because that\u2019s sad that it hasn\u2019t gotten a physical release.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I know! I keep crying. My shelf only has season 1. And it\u2019s a really nice season 1 Blu-ray. It comes with a little booklet. It\u2019s got some production notes. It\u2019s great. So I recommend the Blu-ray, as well. It\u2019s a really nice box set.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: But you never know if that booklet is actually a booklet or a tanuki leaf.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: That\u2019s true. It could turn into a leaf at any moment! I\u2019ll have to be cautious.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Jeff, I\u2019m gonna throw you into the sea. I can\u2019t\u2014<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: With the giant whale that Benten\u2019s riding?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Wow, I miss her already. I\u2019m gonna rewatch.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Laughs] Go get your daily dose of Benten, Annie.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah. I have several GIFs of her just saved on my phone, and sometimes when I\u2019m sad I\u2019m like, \u201cI\u2019m gonna go look at those.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh, what? [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: She\u2019s my inspiration for living.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Good and powerful! What\u2019s the shirt she wears, \u201cUnrivaled Invincibility\u201d or something like that?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: She\u2019s an icon. [Chuckles] Love her. Lowkey worship, but it\u2019s fine. It\u2019s normal and healthy.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Not like those old men that you hate.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: No, that\u2019s weird! What I\u2019m doing\u2019s fine!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: You\u2019re just stalking her and capturing photos of her on your phone.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I\u2019m not stalking her, okay? I don\u2019t know where she is.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: It\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: All right, all right, let\u2019s get into some non-anime recommendations.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: The recommendation I decided to pull out of my hat for here at the end of the show was\u2026 I recently played a narrative visual game called Jenny LeClue: Detectiv\u00fa<\/em>. I don\u2019t know if either of you have heard of it. It\u2019s an indie game, very cleverly written, that kind of treads the line between being a visual novel and being a puzzle game. So, there\u2019s a social interaction element to it, but then it\u2019s also like you\u2019re solving puzzles to try to solve this mystery that this girl is going on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s got this meta-narrative where the outer story is about the author of this long-running children\u2019s book series but the books have gotten too formulaic and his editor is threatening to cancel the series if he doesn\u2019t kill somebody in this next book! He has to really raise the stakes this time! And so, you keep cutting over to him becoming progressively more desperate and drunk, because he really doesn\u2019t want to do this! And then you keep cutting back into the story that he\u2019s writing about Jenny and the people in her life and the story that she\u2019s going through.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The only caveat to it is that it is technically chapter 1, and I didn\u2019t know that going in. So, it ends on this big plot twist and then just smash-cut to credits, and I was very confused. But if you go into it knowing it\u2019s not a full game, it is extremely charming. The puzzles are challenging but not to the point where you\u2019re gonna want to pull out your hair. You just have to think a little bit and you\u2019ll get through \u2018em just fine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So if you enjoy puzzle games or just good stories, it\u2019s really fun and I would highly recommend that. It\u2019s available, I know, on the Switch and probably Steam and I\u2019m not sure where else.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Looks really cute!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I just looked up the art. Yeah, it looks super cute!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: The art is like paper cutout style, almost. Yeah, the art is really good. The voice acting is great. Again, the social interaction element is kind of fun because you can sort of change Jenny\u2019s personality based on how you respond to different characters and things. So, yeah, it\u2019s very charming, and I\u2026 big \u201chappy surprise\u201d from 2020 for me. So, would recommend.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I like how on the Nintendo Switch store there\u2019s like one image in the screenshots that shows a narrative choice and it\u2019s \u201cRespect your elders\u201d or \u201cRespect them some other time.\u201d<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] That\u2019s cute.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles] Which I think gives you a good idea of the dialogue, and the scriptwriting is really good in it. So, yeah, it\u2019s fun. Jenny\u2019s great.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Annie, are you prepared to disappoint me?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: You\u2019re next in line!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Okay, I guess I am next in line.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [Chuckles] So, I have not really been doing anything aside from watching Eccentric Family<\/em> 24\/7. But the one thing I\u2019ve been fitting in is\u2026 I\u2019ve already recommended Final Fantasy XIV<\/em> before, but the change in my Final Fantasy XIV<\/em> life that I\u2019ve done recently is switching from\u2026 I only played DPS before because I thought that was the easiest thing to play as a beginner, as a noob.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But I started playing as a healer. And I find it a lot more fun, and there\u2019s something weird to going in with this vibe of just keeping everyone safe and helping everyone. Just makes it like I come out of the dungeon and I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, yeah, I kept everyone safe. And it was sustainable! Everyone came out healthy and good.\u201d And it doesn\u2019t go in with these \u201cI\u2019m gonna murder everyone!\u201d vibes, and I\u2019ve been surprised how much that makes me feel happier after playing. It\u2019s kind of a weird thought to have, but yeah, I\u2019d recommend healing in an MMO.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I don\u2019t think that\u2019s weird at all. I think that\u2019s really sweet.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: That\u2019s fun. Yeah, it\u2019s better than when I recommended people eat a sweet potato.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I didn\u2019t think of anything! That\u2019s why Jeff\u2019s always disappointed by me!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Laughs] I mean, sweet potatoes are good. It\u2019s not a bad recommendation. It\u2019s just\u2026<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I was like, \u201cEat a sweet potato. Throw it in the oven!\u201d<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [Chuckles] If you had, like, a recommendation for a recipe\u2026 but it was just \u201cPut in the oven.\u201d<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I also had one\u2026 I was just like, \u201cOh, just put egg over rice. Good. Solved.\u201d This is why Jeff hates me!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: \u201cI solved rice. You\u2019re welcome!\u201d [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Wait, I think I have one. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve said this one yet. Oh, I hope I haven\u2019t said this one yet! Did I say Tale of the Nine Tailed<\/em> already?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Great! K-drama. Was watching it.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh no.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Started to love it. Sorry! It\u2019s all I do outside of anime! That\u2019s not true: I eat sweet potatoes.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: But this one\u2019s about a nine-tailed fox, and apparently he was very, very powerful and was basically the god of a mountain, and then he fell in love with a human\u2026<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Are you just reading Naruto<\/em>?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: No! And then she died. And then he made a deal with the Grim Reaper, and he\u2019s like, \u201cHey, I\u2019ll give up being a mountain god if you can promise she\u2019ll be reincarnated some day.\u201d<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh, this is a live-action drama?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Mm-hm.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: This sounds kind of interesting!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah! And he\u2019s like, \u201cShe\u2019ll be reincarnated someday. Just promise me that, and I will give up being a god and I\u2019ll do\u2026\u201d not military service, but he\u2019ll go and take out other foxes who are abusing their power and killing humans.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Huh!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: And then it focuses on this main girl who looks just like that other human, but he\u2019s run into tons of those over the 600 years that he\u2019s just been waiting for this one girl to be reincarnated! But this girl\u2026 her parents were killed by foxes and she has a weird connection to the mystery world, so this feels very connected to this episode that we\u2019re having. But it\u2019s really cute and kind of weird, and the main guy who plays the nine-tailed fox is very attractive.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: It kind of sounds like my jam. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah! It\u2019s on Viki, and I think it\u2019s on there\u2026 It\u2019s free. You don\u2019t have to pay for this one.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Cool.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: So, you can just watch it there. Jeff, please don\u2019t write Naruto<\/em> as what I recommended. I see that in the show notes.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: It\u2019s so cute and also kind of dives into Korean folklore. So that\u2019s fun and I\u2019m learning so much!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, I am a sucker for reincarnation stories and I\u2019m a sucker for folklore, so that sounds fantastic.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Ugh, yes, it\u2019s\u2026 Okay, now I\u2019m just thinking about it. I\u2019m not caught up. I\u2019m only like six episodes in. But I think it\u2019s airing right now. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Wikipedia said that it finished in December.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Dang! I gotta catch up.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: But there\u2019s a spinoff.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: You gotta see how it ends.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [Gasps] Wait, what? It\u2019s a spinoff. Don\u2019t read it. I don\u2019t want to know.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles] Yeah, it might accidentally spoil something.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, please don\u2019t\u2014 It\u2019s not Korean Naruto<\/em>!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Jeff, I\u2019ll kill you!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Yeah, they really don\u2019t sound anything like.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Just the Nine-Tailed. Wow, I\u2019m just thinking about it. It\u2019s so fun. The effects aren\u2019t super great, but they\u2019re a good time and you don\u2019t need great effects.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Nah!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: It\u2019s better than The Untamed<\/em>, if you\u2019ve seen that.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I was curious because you\u2019re describing it\u2026 It sounded like a thing that wouldn\u2019t be good in live action. It seems like it would require weird effects.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: No, because he\u2019s in human form most of the time\u2014actually all of the time. It\u2019s just the magic effects that sometimes happen.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: God, that has massive shoujo manga vibes. I\u2019m into it.<\/p>\n

[Chuckling]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Oh, yeah, and then his little brother who he abandoned shows up and he\u2019s mad.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: And there\u2019s family drama!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yeah, it\u2019s very anime.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I probably need to get into this.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I hope I can convert you into a Tale of the Nine Tailed<\/em> watcher because, oof, the vibes: incredible. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: That sounds fun. I have to put that on the list.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yay!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Talking about resurrection romances, it reminds me of Seven Deadly Sins<\/em> having really gross grooming involved in resurrection romances.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Ew. Jeff, why you gotta ruin my good time?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: [Chuckles] Well, thank you everyone for listening. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. If you don\u2019t, you\u2019ll be boiled into a hot pot. Oops, sorry. That\u2019s just tradition.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Oh my God. Huh! Anyways, if you want to tell Jeff to shut up, you can email us at loveitorweebit@gmail.com or tweet at us @LoveItOrWeebIt<\/a>.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Or you can find us on our new website. We actually have two<\/em> new websites.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Did you? Did you really?<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I did. You can find our new websites, loveit.lol or weebit.lol.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I\u2019m gonna kill you with my own two hands!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I spent $20 on those domains, so someone is a dumb\u2026<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] And you regret nothing! [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Anyways, I\u2019m on Twitter @annieothername<\/a>.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: And I am @jeffinitelyjeff<\/a>. Dee, where can people find you?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: People can find me on Twitter @joseinextdoor<\/a>. That is J-O-S-E-I. There\u2019s been some confusion about that in the past. You can also find all my writings, including that epic two-part Eccentric Family<\/em> essay I wrote called \u201cFailed Tanuki and Half-Baked Tengu,\u201d over on my website, joseinextdoor.com<\/a>. And I am constantly yelling about anime with my fellow Anime Feminist staffers at animefeminist.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Whoo! Oh, thank you for coming on the show!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Thanks for having me! This was fun.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I\u2019m so glad to find another Eccentric Family<\/em> enthusiast. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Heck yeah!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: I\u2019m glad this was a really, really big, meaty tanuki meat episode.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Jeff, stop threatening to eat tanuki!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Okay, this is not\u2014 We gotta go before this happens again.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: All right, so join us next week for\u2026 I\u2019m not sure what we\u2019re gonna do next week. Hm. Maybe the winter 2021 draft?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: That sounds good! That sounds like what we should do.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Well, anyway, mystery, mystery.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] Bye!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Bye! And as we always say: Hey now \/ you\u2019re an all-star \/ get your game on \/ go, anime.<\/p>\n

[Ending theme]<\/p>\n

[Beep]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: And as we always say: Hey now \/ you\u2019re an all-star \/ get your game on \/ go, anime.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Stop.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: That\u2019s the last one.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: I hate this.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: It\u2019s done.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Thank you! He\u2019s finished this song.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: The song\u2019s done, and now I need to think of a different idea for next season.<\/p>\n

[Beep]<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: I know at one point we did lowkey say we would boil you in a hot pot, so I just wanted to make sure you were feeling okay.<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: [crosstalk] And I still will!<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Well, I\u2019ve come to terms with it. You know, I\u2019ve raised\u2026 how many episodes of this podcast?<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Four beautiful children.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Chuckles]<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Four seasons of this beautiful podcast.<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: Four beautiful podcast seasons and however many tweets and\u2026 yeah.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh yeah, my tweets. I\u2019ll look at the number. I live on through the 43.9 thousand tweets? Jesus!<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Yikes.<\/p>\n

JEFF<\/strong>: Oh my God!<\/p>\n

ANNIE<\/strong>: Jeff, are you realizing you have a problem?<\/p>\n

DEE<\/strong>: You\u2019re coming to terms with your tweet issues. Yeah, it\u2019s okay. I\u2019m right there with you.<\/p>\n

[Beep]<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n